Girl Meets Confusion
by julley
Summary: This story begins where they left off, at a rooftop on New Year's Eve. Riley and her friends are struggling with their new feelings more than ever, yet somehow everyone seems to think they have it under control (they don't). And as the high five journey through the coming summer and their first year in high school, more confusion and complication abound. Riarkle/Joshaya/Lucaya
1. Chapter 1

**1: Aftermath**

Even after willing himself down the flights of stairs leading up to the rooftop, Farkle still couldn't help but cast a lingering look back at the fairy lights that twinkled above, wondering if he had really done the right thing by exposing Riley's true feelings for Lucas.

He was certain that his exit looked smooth and easy to his friends, when actually, it had taken all the strength he could muster to stop himself from staying there to settle this mess once and for all. But as ironic as it sounded to him considering his interference, the issue was something that only the three of them could solve.

"Farkle."

His head snapped down, as he suddenly realized that Smackle was still standing next to him, observing him with her questioning brown eyes. He had almost forgotten she was here. By his side. On New Year's.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

Farkle stuffed a hand into the pocket of his coat and took hold of Smackle's gloved hand with the other. He flashed her a quick smile as they started to stroll away from Riley's apartment building, as if he didn't just trigger a bomb there a few minutes ago.

"With us?" He nodded towards their intertwined hands, chuckling. "Of course."

"I mean, with them."

Farkle closed his eyes for a split second. Obviously he knew who her question had been referring to the whole time. He was just trying his luck, seeing if he could avoid thinking about the consequences of his actions. But of course, Smackle of all people, would never let that happen.

He bent down and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. "I certainly hope so, Smackle. I certainly do. They'll figure it out. They always do."

 _They had to, for Riley's sake._

* * *

"So what now?" Maya asked.

She was the first to break the tensed and horribly awkward silence between them. At least, that was how Riley felt the atmosphere to be. She couldn't have been more humiliated and confused and hurt than she was at that moment. Her heart felt like it had plunged deep down to the bottom of her stomach, staying there as if rocks were weighing it down.

She was feeling so many emotions at once, and recently, happiness hadn't been in the equation. She wished she could just stop feeling for once. It was what got her into this sticky situation in the first place – her crush on Lucas, her guilt towards Maya. Something else was creeping up, too:

 _Anger._ Anger towards Farkle. Everything had been going on just fine, until he came along with his unreasonable deadline and let out a stinking truth bomb in front of Charlie and all their other friends. And he just decided to up and leave with Smackle, leaving her all by herself to clean this mess up.

Riley got up slowly from the bench and took a few steps forward before turning to face her two friends. Lucas appeared as confused as ever while Maya had a light frown plastered on her face, barely even visible except to the eyes of her best friend.

"Look," Riley took a deep breath. "This is a mistake. This whole night has been a mistake. I shouldn't have called for this party and I'm sorry that you guys had to hear that from Farkle. Honestly, I'm tired. And I don't even know how _I_ feel. All I know is that the both of you should go."

"Riley," Maya started.

" _Go._ "

This time, Lucas was the first to react. He stood up and gestured for Maya to do the same. She looked reluctant, but eventually gave in, wiping the dust off her dress as she did.

"Happy New Year…Riles," Lucas managed a small smile before walking towards the stairwell.

Maya followed after him, casting a pained look towards Riley as she held the door open. "See you tomorrow," she said, finally disappearing as the steel door clicked shut behind her.

All Riley could hear was the sound of their footsteps, drifting further and further away as they descended the stairs. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the utter ridiculousness and helplessness of their situation.

 _What a great start to the New Year,_ she thought sarcastically. _Let's hope nothing changes._

* * *

It was an hour past midnight by the time Farkle had dropped Smackle off and returned home.

His house was nothing like Riley's. It was a quaint little bungalow – four bedrooms, three toilets, a decently-sized swimming pool but just one Farkle. He wasn't too sure why his parents didn't try for another kid. Maybe they figured one baby Minkus was enough to take over the world.

"I'm home!" Farkle announced his arrival, removing his coat and setting it on the bronze coat hanger next to the front door.

Jennifer Bassett Minkus appeared at the foot of the stairs in her pink night robe and cast her son a smile. While her husband always stuck to his scheduled sleep time of 11pm (with certain exceptions), she enjoyed staying up a little later with a good book in her hands.

"Had a good time, dear?" She asked, Farkle noticing the copy of Hamilton he got her for Christmas clutched at her side.

"Great," he flashed her a grin. "Smackle was adorable as always."

"You should really invite her over for dinner some time. Your father and I would like to get to know her outside of her competitive streak," Jennifer joked.

"Some time, maybe," Farkle echoed, obviously too distracted to really consider the idea. Riley was stealing his thoughts without even knowing it.

He brushed past his mother as he trudged up the stairs towards his bedroom. "Goodnight, mum."

"Goodnight, dear."

 _Is she okay? Is she fast asleep yet? She's usually in bed by this hour…did I do the right thing?_

Farkle shook his head in an attempt to rid his thoughts of Riley. It was both an annoyance and a pleasant surprise, how he could spend so much time preoccupying himself with her predicament. It happened ever since their trip to Texas. He never knew it was possible to think about someone – who wasn't his girlfriend – nearly all the time.

He had come to a steady conclusion a few days ago that it was because Riley was his best friend, and that till now, she never really seemed to need any help at all. She was always Smiley Riley, the girl with the generous, open heart. And now that it was beginning to close off to the whole world, someone had to step in and stop it. And that person would be him. After all, he seemed to be the only person who could truly understand her.

When Farkle got out of the shower a few minutes later, he heard his phone buzz from where he had left it on the bed. It was a message from Riley.

 **Why did you do that, Farkle?**

His heart pounded guiltily. But before he could respond, another message popped up.

 **I trusted you to do the right thing.**

Farkle hesitated before replying, his finger lingering on the button before hitting 'send'. A text from Riley without emoticons was bad news, what more two.

 **I did what I thought was right. You can't hide your feelings forever, Riles. It's wrong to sacrifice your happiness for others without even giving them the chance to make a choice.**

There was a long pause that seemed to drag on forever, till finally:

 **Well, you didn't give me much of a choice yourself, did you?**

 _Make that three,_ he thought.

And no, he didn't give her a choice. But why couldn't she understand that it was what's best for her? That bugged Farkle to no end. She, of all people, should know that he would never do anything to hurt her.

But he just did.

 **I'm sorry, Riley. But it had to be done. Happy New Year :)**

All that followed was silence.

 _A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading! I suppose this is my way of coping without GMW for the next few months. It's honestly become one of my favourite TV shows, and I've always wanted to explore these characters in my writing though of course, disclaimer (!) they do not belong to me. And we're off to a slightly slow start here, but I like to develop my stories and characters so I hope you can bear with me. I literally just conjured this chapter in one sitting today and I'm really enjoying how I'm letting the characters decide what happens next. Also, I guess I should put it out here that this story will be strongly centred around Riley and Farkle, but there will definitely be Lucaya and perhaps even some Joshaya thrown into the mix. But right now, I guess our friends are mostly confused and scattered about, with the exception of Farkle and Smackle. Anyway, happy holidays, everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter! Till the next :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**2: Texas**

It was their last night in Texas, and the group had completed what they'd set out to do. Lucas had conquered Tombstone the bull, saved his reputation and now they were all gathered by the campfire, singing songs and chatting quietly over the periodic crackle of the flames.

To Riley, it seemed like the perfect way to end off their trip – together. Obviously a couple of things had transpired and risen to light over the weekend, but it didn't matter as much as long as her friends were happy.

You see, Texas was a bubble. And once they returned to New York, that bubble would burst and give way to reality. Riley intended to squeeze every last drop of time she had left in Texas, especially since she had the feeling that everything was going to change when they got back.

She had seen the way Maya looked at Lucas when he made the decision to ride Tombstone. It was equal parts loathing and loving. It contained so much intensity that Riley was left stunned for a moment. It was only when Lucas fell off the bull that she managed to piece two and two together, realizing what she should have a long time ago – that Maya liked Lucas. That Maya liked Lucas _a lot._

And now was her chance to return the favour Maya had granted her a year ago. Zay and Vanessa had been gone for just awhile, so Farkle and her still had time to catch up with them. She turned to the hat-donning cowboy next to her and smiled.

"Do you want me to buy you ice-cream, Farkle?"

The boy's head jerked up sharply, as if his train of thought had just been disrupted. "What?"

"Do. You. Want. Me. To. Buy. You. Ice-cream?" Riley asked again, this time accentuating each word.

"Oh, are you sure?" Farkle asked, breaking into a smile before she could even reply.

"Yeah," Riley said, getting up as she extended a hand, pulling him up to his feet. "Come on."

It was only when they were out of earshot from Maya and Lucas that Farkle spoke up.

"So what was that all about?" He asked, cocking his head to one side as he studied Riley.

She wasn't quite yet sure of how she felt when he did that, except for the fact that it seemed as if he could see right through her soul and into the deepest, darkest recesses of happy 24/7 Riley Town. It was something even Maya couldn't do.

"What was what about?" Riley feigned innocence as she cocked her head to match his, such that they were parallel to one another's.

Farkle laughed, nudging her in the side. "Cut it out, Riles. I know you didn't offer to waste five bucks on me just so you could 'buy me ice-cream'. Something's up, and you can tell me about it. If you want to, of course."

Always going to be the gentleman, wasn't he? Sometimes Riley thought he was more chivalrous than Lucas the Knight in Shining Armour himself. While Lucas had the tendency to lose his senses to emotions, Farkle was always calm and grounded, never one to jump to conclusions. He was someone she could always trust to make the right decisions, to give the right advice. Just not right now.

"Farkle," she said slowly before surprising him by throwing her arms into the air. "We're in Texas! Texas! Away from school and our parents and responsibilities…let's just enjoy our last night here, alright? No sadness, no nothing. Just a whole lot of happy."

The boy smiled at her just as they arrived at Jeffrey's Ice-Cream Parlour. It was all but crowded, save for Vanessa and Zay, who sat at a corner enjoying their banana split. They were leaning so close to each other that their heads were almost touching.

"Would you look at that," Riley grinned. "I think the biggest winner on this whole trip is Zay."

* * *

"Ladies first," Farkle held the door open for Riley to enter as the bell above them tinkled, announcing their arrival.

Zay looked up from his ice-cream and nudged his head, silently asking if the two new customers wanted to join them at their table.

Farkle shook his head and jabbed his finger towards Riley, who was now dancing over the wide array of ice-cream flavours excitedly.

Zay smiled and nodded back before jumping back into a conversation with Vanessa, understanding that the two friends needed their privacy.

Once they had gotten their ice-cream and found a place to sit (there wasn't really a lack of space in the first place, anyway), Farkle decided to speak up first, keeping in mind that Riley didn't want to talk about Maya and Lucas.

"Thanks for the treat," he said, waving his vanilla ice-cream cone.

"You're welcome, Farkle," Riley replied, throwing him a lazy smile. She was enjoying her chocolate chip cookie dough, picking apart at the scoop of ice-cream so that she could leave the cookie dough bits for last.

"How did you know that you liked Smackle as…more than a friend?" She suddenly asked, raising her head to look Farkle square in the eye.

Somehow, he knew that this wasn't just some random question that popped up at the back of her head. She was trying to get at something, but at that moment, he just wasn't sure what. So he decided to play along, figuring it was a good question anyway. He never really needed a reason to think about it till now.

"Well…" He answered slowly, his mind furiously flitting through the memories he'd shared with Smackle since they found out she had Asperger's.

It was only then that Farkle started to see her as more than just his infuriating arch nemesis from Einstein Academy, watching as the girl, despite her handicap, struggle to put herself out there and change because _she_ wanted to. That reminded him so much of himself and he admired her so much for it that he couldn't help but be drawn to her.

 _I guess it helped that she's always liked me as more than a friend,_ he thought.

"Well?" Riley prodded.

"I get butterflies in my stomach every time I see her, and I just feel that someone can finally understand me and see the reasons behind my actions. You get what I mean?"

She nodded slowly. "That's how I felt about Lucas, too. The butterflies part, I mean."

Farkle didn't know what else to say, so he just waited for her to continue. It bugged him, seeing Riley so confused and pensive, especially when she was trying her darndest best to hide it.

"How about me and Maya, then? Before Smackle came along. Did you feel that way about us, too?"

How _did_ he feel about Riley and Maya? They had all been friends since they were little, and he knew he always said that he loved the both of them like they were the moon and the stars, two beautiful angels who would always be out of his reach. And of course, despite the frequent shows of his pining over them, he knew that he would never be able to get either of them at the end of the day. It was just the way the universe worked, and honestly, he had grown used to that fact. Almost accepted it, even.

Riley and Maya were worlds apart from Smackle – incomparable, irreplaceable.

"You guys are my best friends, Riley," Farkle finally replied. "I would trust you with my life. I like Smackle, but this crush is still new and you know it wouldn't be fair to make such a comparison."

Riley laughed, the first genuine one he had heard all day. "You make a fair point, Farkle." A pause. "But Smackle is one lucky girl. You'll treat her like a queen."

* * *

It was getting late, and even Zay and Vanessa had left the parlour nearly a half hour ago. Riley and Farkle had long finished their ice-cream, but neither of them felt like moving. After their earlier conversation, they moved on to more light-hearted topics, such as the constellations that one could be find in the Texan sky.

Closing hour was at 11, and before they knew it, the duo was being chased out of the shop. They figured that Maya and Lucas had probably left the campfire place by then and decided to head back home as well, enjoying the chilly night breeze that accompanied their walk.

"Thanks for tonight, Farkle," Riley said, turning to smile at her friend. He was looking straight ahead as he walked, arms clasped behind his back. "I'm grateful for our friendship."

He looked towards her and grinned. The effervescent glow of the moon was reflected by his ash blonde hair, making it seem even lighter than usual.

"As am I."

In that moment – under the stars that were usually out-shone by the artificial city lights of New York City – it seemed to Riley that nothing could go wrong. And for a moment, she believed it so.

 _A/N: Hello again! Thanks so much for all the favs and follows, and I hope this chapter tickled your fancy (haha). There'll be lots of visits back to the past in this story so get ready for chapters alternating between the past and the present. When I watched this episode of Girl Meets Texas, I always wondered how Riley and Farkle's ice-cream 'date' might have went, hence my two cents on this chapter : Also, just rambling on a bit here but the promo for Girl Meets STEM seems to completely push the whole love triangle thing to the sidelines again and I guess the writers are going to drag it on to Season 3. Not that I really mind, actually, especially since they're really all too young to be involved in a solid relationship (because we're all looking towards the ENDGAME, right?). What do you guys think? And it's back to the present again for the next chapter! I'll probably only be able to upload it after New Years so till then, have a great holiday everybody! Reviews are very much appreciated c:_


	3. Chapter 3

**3: Trust**

Riley woke up on the first day of the new year to a pounding in her head, which sounded awfully similar to how Maya usually knocked on her bay window when it was locked…

 _Wait a minute – Maya!_

Riley jolted up in her bed at the sudden realization and looked towards the window where her best friend was indeed, crouched on her knees and rapping mercilessly against the glass, trying to wake her up.

"Coming!" Riley called, throwing her blanket aside as she slid off the bed in her blue pyjamas.

She had been expecting Maya's arrival since last night, but definitely not this early in the morning. It was only when she unlocked the window and pushed it open that she found out she had slept way past her alarm. The sun was hanging high in the sky, its rays shining brightly even during wintertime, causing her to be blinded for a second.

"What time is it?" Riley asked, rubbing her eyes as she made way for Maya to climb through the window.

"Oh baby doll," Maya crooned, making herself comfortable on the window seat. "Was last night so horrid that you had to sleep in till 2 in the afternoon?"

Riley plopped down beside her best friend and sighed. "I can't believe I slept for so long! Why didn't mum and dad wake me up? I'm pretty sure I'd set my alarm at 9."

Maya laughed, cupping Riley's chin and turning her head towards the clock that laid broken on the floor at the other side of the room. "I guess you got annoyed and threw it across the room," she shrugged, unable to contain her smile.

Riley chewed on her bottom lip. She must've had woken up feeling so grumpy that the very thought of getting out of bed frustrated her. And as the past day's events replayed in her mind, she was finally reminded why. The embarrassment, anger, confusion and hurt – it had all been too overwhelming for her to handle. It still was. She wanted to return to her bed and snuggle under the blanket where no one else could see her.

"Why are you here, Maya?" she groaned, grabbing a pillow and wrapping it around her head, exasperated. The day hadn't even started for her and she was already tired.

Maya's smile faded, her face turning into one of seriousness. "I'm here to talk to you about last night. Lucas wanted to come too, but I knew you wouldn't be comfortable with that so I made him wait downstairs."

Riley turned to face Maya as she sucked in a deep breath. "There's nothing to discuss here, Maya. I made it clear weeks ago that I view Lucas as a brother. The two of you should be together. Please don't let me get in the way."

"That's not how Farkle made it sound like."

There was a hint of bitterness in Maya's voice as she said it, and Riley couldn't help but wonder if Farkle truly knew the damage he had done to the entire group's dynamics. She knew she'd left him hanging the night before by refusing to accept his apology, but honestly speaking, she didn't think he actually meant it. The worst part was probably the fact that he didn't really believe that he did anything wrong.

With this in mind, Riley decided that lying was only going to make it worse. "Okay fine," she relented. "Maybe I'm still unsure about my feelings for Lucas but I'm so confused it doesn't matter anyway."

Maya slung an arm around Riley's neck and gently laid the brunette's head down on her shoulder, gently stroking her hair. "I know, honey. That's why we've decided to just stay as friends."

Riley couldn't muster the energy to lift her head off Maya's shoulder, so she stayed there, staring ahead into thin air. "Who's we?" she mumbled.

"Lucas and I. And now, you."

The very thought of Maya sacrificing her own feelings for Riley yet again caused another pang of guilt to strike her heart. It wasn't fair that her best friend always had to be the one to give in and be the bigger person in their friendship. She already owed Maya so much.

"But Maya!" She protested, sitting back up and looking into her friend's steely blue eyes. "Lucas and you _like_ each other. And it's not okay for the both of you to suppress your feelings just for me. I won't let that happen."

"It's our decision, Riley. After what Farkle did, you of all people should understand the importance of having a choice. Besides, Lucas still isn't sure of what he wants and I think it would be best if everyone just stayed friends."

Riley studied Maya, trying to source for any signs of regret or disappointment in her decision. But there was none, and once Maya was certain about something, there was a slim chance of anyone ever changing her mind. "Alright," she sighed. "We'll take a break from this mess for now. But you know we can't hide our feelings forever, right?"

"That's why I won't," Maya smiled, taking Riley's hand and giving it a tight squeeze. "I love you, Riley Matthews."

Riley's brain suddenly went on red-alert when she heard the words 'I love you'. It suddenly reminded her of the time Farkle said it to her at _Topanga's_ after trying to help her sort out her feelings. She shook her head, trying to forget the weird sensation that came along with it. She was supposed to be angry with Farkle, not reminisce about their friendship. But somehow she still couldn't help but feel bad for refusing to reply him last night.

"Bloody Farkle," she muttered under her breath, much to Maya's amusement.

"What did you say?" Maya laughed. "Here I am confessing my love for you and you're thinking about 'bloody Farkle'?"

Riley buried her head in her hands, groaning. "I don't know, Maya. I'm just so tired. One part of me hates Farkle for revealing my secret but another part of me still loves him all the same."

Maya stood up from the seat and dug her hands into her pocket. "You should try and hear him out," she advised. "Whatever the outcome has been, I'm sure his intentions were good. And he's still our best friend. He wouldn't have done it if he knew you'd get hurt."

"New year, new Maya?" Riley teased, slightly in awe of her friend's sudden unabashed show of maturity. She would usually joke around about such things, maybe even suggest that Riley hunt Farkle down and hold his favourite telescope hostage.

Maya shrugged, heading towards the bedroom door. She opened it just enough such that Topanga's voice could float in from the living room outside:

"Would you like to stay for lunch, Ava?"

"I guess people change people," Maya finally replied, grinning. "Come out soon, Riles. Your mum's spaghetti smells unusually appetising today."

* * *

The moment Maya stepped out of Riley's apartment building smelling of spaghetti and meatballs, Lucas rushed over to her, eyebrows knitted together in a tight frown.

"What took you so long?" He demanded. "It's freezing out today!" Then, in a softer tone, "how's Riley?"

Maya laughed at the sight of Lucas rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, his sorry attempt to keep warm. "No one asked you to wait out here the _whole_ time, cowboy. And to answer your question, she's fine. Still a little angry with Farkle, but I'm sure they'll sort it out."

"And what about the truce?" he prodded.

"She agreed to it," Maya replied, dragging Lucas along by the sleeve. It was only seconds later that she realized what she was doing, and quickly let go.

The boy nodded, the right side of his lips tugged up into a smile. "That's good to hear. I'd hate for all of us to start the new year on bad terms with each other."

The two continued to stroll aimlessly along the path. It was only past three and the sky was already beginning to darken. Maya secretly hoped that there would be a nice sunset for her to paint by the time she got home. A sunset for an end to the pain and trouble of the past year. And tomorrow morning, a sunrise to symbolize renewal and hope for the coming months.

When they finally stopped at the entrance of the subway, Maya turned to face Lucas. "Thanks for accompanying me today," she said, letting out a smile.

Lucas looked like he was about to comment on her lack of snark today, but was quickly cut off by the girl's sudden addition.

"– even though you were completely useless as usual."

Lucas couldn't help but break into a grin upon hearing the insult. "There's the Maya I know," he chuckled affectionately.

Maya laughed and took a few steps back, waving goodbye to the boy she kind of, sort of, still had feelings for.

"And there goes the girl you know," she commentated, running down the steps and disappearing into the hustle and bustle of the New Year crowd.

* * *

Riley literally spent the entire first day of the new year at home, helping Topanga out with the chores and playing with Auggie and Ava. They made her the evil witch, while Auggie played the part of prince charming and Ava, the strong-headed and stubborn princess.

By the time they were done play-acting, Riley was thoroughly exhausted and ready for sleep, flopping back down onto her bed with the pointy witch's hat still stuck to her head. As tired as she was, Riley was grateful for the distraction. She still wasn't entirely sure of what she should say to Farkle, or what she should do. In fact, all the worrying did was give her a pounding headache.

Riley was just about to close the curtains and change into her pyjamas when she heard the sound of clanging metal from outside her window.

It was pitch black outside, and her heart began to race as she grabbed the nearest weapon she could find – one of Lucas' poor discarded shoes from whenever her father chased him out the window.

Arms poised and ready to attack, the girl inched slowly towards the open window. A cold draft could be felt from where she stood, and a little shiver creeped up the back of her spine. She made a mental note to stop forgetting to close the window whenever she left the room.

"Riley!" A face suddenly appeared in the window, scaring the girl and causing her to instinctively reach out and attack the intruder with her shoe.

"Go. Away! Don't you _dare_ hurt me or my family!" She said through gritted teeth in-between her strikes.

"Riley – no, wait, it's me!"

Riley's hand froze mid-attack when she realized who it was. His hair was currently a floppy mess due to her attack, no doubt, and his arms were raised protectively in front of him. He was donned in a black space shirt, jacket and jeans, which was probably why the boy managed to blend into the night so well.

"Farkle?" Riley gasped, rushing forward to help him through the window. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you!"

Farkle smiled sheepishly as he stood in the middle of the room. "Ta-da?" He did an awkward flourish with his hands.

"What's with everybody sneaking into my room today?" Riley questioned. "Why couldn't you just enter through the front door?"

"Well, I tried. But I guess Mr Matthews found out about what I'd done and chased me away."

Riley strode towards her bed and sat down, crossing her tingling arms and legs as the sudden flurry of the situation dissipated. "Why am I not surprised?" She asked, before immediately regretting what she'd said. She recalled what Maya had told her just a few hours ago:

 _"_ _Whatever the outcome has been, I'm sure his intentions were good. And he's still our best friend. He wouldn't have done it if he knew you'd get hurt."_

She studied Farkle's face – the droop of his eyebrows, the hurt in his eyes. His lips were slightly parted, as if he wanted to say something but was holding back because he was wary of making another mistake.

Riley was surprised by how significantly softer and gentler her voice was when she said, "I'm asking again – why did you do that, Farkle?"

"All I wanted was for you to be happy, Riley," the boy explained, his gaze sharp and piercing as he met her eyes. "After what happened in Texas, you looked so down and confused I couldn't take it any longer."

"Couldn't take what any longer?" Riley's words barely came out as a whisper.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed tensed, and despite the chilly winter drafts that entered through the half-closed window, the air felt thick and warm. Riley could feel her pulse jumping at a quickening rate as she continued to hold Farkle's gaze steady.

Farkle, looking as uncomfortable as she did, gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. And just like that, the intensity of the moment faded away as quickly as it came.

Managing to recollect his senses, Farkle finally said, "I missed my sunshine."

Riley pressed her lips into a tight smile and pointed to herself. "Sunshine's still here."

The boy rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, Riles."

And she did. She knew she wasn't as smiley and happy as she used to be. The past year had been hard on her, and that made it increasingly difficult for her to find the light in the dark. She took a deep breath. It was time for her to explain her side of the story.

"I was angry with you because you didn't give me a choice in the matter. And because of that, your friends' feelings were hurt last night, Farkle," Riley said. "Lucas, Maya, mine…and after finding out that Maya had hid and sacrificed her own feelings for mine all this time, I just owe it to her that she find her happiness too."

A look of defeat crossed Farkle's face. "At the expense of yours?" he asked.

Riley tucked her hair behind her ears, slowly processing what he'd implied.

"I…I guess it's called trust," she looked up at Farkle, smiling as she finally found the word she'd been looking for. "Trust that I'll be able to handle it my way."

Farkle took one step closer towards the bed, and then another, before taking a seat beside Riley. "I understand," he said. "It's just that you were always the one who looked out for me all these years. I felt that it was my turn to return the favour."

A mutual misunderstanding, with both sides harbouring only good intentions for one another.

Riley placed a hand over Farkle's own and casted him a smile. "I'm a big girl now, Farkle. You don't need to look out for me. I can handle this by myself."

A flicker of doubt seemed to pass Farkle's face for a moment, but then he smiled back.

"Okay, Riley. I trust you."

Riley only ever thought that the word 'love' could evoke such warmth and comfort inside her, but that cold winter's night, something else did.

* * *

 _A/N: Hello again! Thanks for all the follows and reviews so far, I really really appreciate them! :') Unfortunately, I think the website is undergoing some sort of glitch? I received emails saying that I've gotten three reviews so far but I can only see one :o Hopefully the problem gets fixed soon! I heard it happens quite often. But anyway, I hope that all of you have been having a great 2016 thus far! You've probably already noticed, but just to reiterate, the main focus of this chapter is about trust. I feel like Farkle has had one of the biggest growth arc across this season of GMW, and yet, he still seems to have so much room to grow it's kind of amazing, really. In my opinion, one of the more subtle reasons why he revealed Riley's secret on NYE was probably because he didn't trust her enough to be able to resolve the issue by herself, which was why I decided to tackle this aspect of it in the chapter. Also, you got to see more Lucas and Maya too, so yay, there'll definitely be more of them to come. I start my work internship tomorrow, and it's a 9 to 6 job so hopefully I'll be able to update soon. Fret not though, the next chapter will be up latest by the end of the week! See you then, my lovelies and have a great week ahead! (Reviews would make my day, hehe)._


	4. Chapter 4

**4: Intervention**

The truce between Lucas, Maya and Riley had been going on well for the past couple of months, each of them staying well within the friendzone. Through the eyes of others, it might have seemed that everything had returned to normal, but to those privy to the group's predicament, things were really far from being resolved. The only reason why Riley and Lucas managed to keep their agreement afloat was because they'd been spending as little time together as possible, and this day was no exception.

Lucas had just been released from math class along with Zay and Farkle, but they left him to visit the gents. Not knowing how long they would take – poor Zay was nursing a sick stomach – he decided to head along to the cafeteria first to save a spot for them in the ever-growing queue.

Entering the crowded room, he knew what awaited him – Riley and Maya, both of whom were already digging into their lunches at a corner table. He felt a tugging sensation leading him towards them, but after several weeks of avoiding Riley, he'd learnt to suppress it and hurriedly made his way towards the lunch queue before he could change his mind. He wished he could just walk over to them like he used to. But now, he could only talk to Maya when she wasn't around Riley, which frankly speaking, was never.

 _And…cue departure,_ Lucas thought to himself as he watched Riley frantically gobble up her tuna casserole from the corner of his eye. She'd just realized that he was in the same room with them and hence, decided to up and leave. She always did that, and she probably didn't think that Lucas would notice. But he did. He did every single time.

"Riley, when are you going to stop this?" Maya's annoyed voice drifted over to where Lucas stood as she got dragged out of the cafeteria.

He turned his back towards the entrance, not wanting to look.

There had actually been three more seats next to the girls – just enough for Zay, Farkle and him to join in. In fact, there was always enough space, but they never really sat or hung out as a group anymore. Well, at least apart from history lessons, where the five of them had no choice but to sit in close proximity at Mr. Matthews' bidding.

To be honest, Lucas was tired of avoiding the girl, but it took two to tango and Riley wasn't budging one bit. He felt like such a bastard thinking this, but he often wondered if this change in the girl's demeanour was due to hormones.

"I know what you're thinking – don't," a voice suddenly piped up from behind him.

Lucas swivelled around and was pleasantly surprised to see Farkle, who had probably just come from another class. "How do you know what I'm thinking about?" He challenged jokingly, trying to hide a smile.

Farkle shrugged. "I mentioned the hormones thing to Smackle – once – and she flipped. Apparently girls hate it when we attribute their mood swings to their monthly visits. And also," he added, "I bumped into Riley and Maya along the corridor."

"If only it was that simple with Riley," Lucas shook his head, visibly troubled. "I just wish she would talk to me."

"Have you even tried?" Farkle picked two trays from the shelf – one for himself and the other for Lucas – sliding them across the countertop as they paused at each food station.

"Well…"

"I take that as a no."

Lucas lifted his tray up as he heaved a sigh. "What do you expect me to do, Farkle? _Force_ her? I'm not going to do that."

Farkle held both hands up, feigning offence. "Hey, I didn't say anything. But just so you know, Maya, Zay and I aren't going to take sides, so you'll have to sort it out for yourselves. You don't want to graduate giving Riles the cold shoulder, do you?"

"I didn't even want to start the year that way," Lucas muttered under his breath. Then, coated in sarcasm, "Gee, thanks Farkle. You're such a great help."

The boy smiled, his nose crinkling up. "It's my utmost pleasure, Mr. Friar."

* * *

"So, tell me again why you're coming over to my house to study?" Farkle asked Riley a few days after his conversation with Lucas, sliding onto the cafeteria seat with a food tray in hand.

It was one of the rare days where Maya, Lucas and Zay didn't share the same break as them, so it was usually just the two of them at lunch.

Earlier that morning, Riley asked Farkle if she could go over to his house to study for their finals coming up in just a few weeks. They had already taken to studying together since the term began, and Farkle often tutored the girl in the comfort of her own home. But it seemed like she had something different in mind this time around.

"Because," Riley said in a matter-a-fact manner, "Lucas is always at _Topanga's_ and Maya's always at my house. It's difficult to study with them hanging around."

Farkle raised an eyebrow. "Since when was that the case?"

Riley picked at the peas in her rice, fishing them out with her fork and adding them to a pile that was already beginning to form at the side of her plate. Farkle had known the girl for so long that he was accustomed to the long pauses that sometimes popped up in their conversations. It meant that she was struggling to find words, a habit that she had fallen into quite often as of late.

"You know I always study better with you, Farkle," she finally huffed.

"You do?"

"Yes!"

Farkle chuckled at the sight of her exasperated face. "Could I ever say no?"

The brunette girl erupted into laughter as well. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

She shook her head, grinning. "I can't believe it – after all these years I finally get to visit the great Farkle Minkus' house."

The boy shrugged. "Yours always seemed more welcoming, anyway. Mine just feels…big and empty. Sometimes."

A thoughtful look washed over Riley's face. "I can't imagine a whole house full of Minkuses, though," she half-cringed and shuddered at the thought of it.

Farkle tried to imagine such a scenario and nodded in agreement. "It would take the whole of Mars to contain us."

"That, and more. I probably wouldn't be able to handle it." Riley crossed her arms and smiled, leaning across the table as she closed the gap between Farkle and herself. "I guess one's enough for me."

Farkle couldn't help but return the smile. Her tiny, introspective smiles always had the effect of making him feel warm and happy inside. Like he was doing something right.

Just then, his eyes brightened as he recalled something. "I almost forgot –" He muttered, unzipping his backpack and rummaging through its contents to fish out a black notebook decorated with little stickers in the shape of planets. He handed it to Riley with a smile. "I made you a cheat sheet for math. Hopefully it helps with your revision."

Riley held the book daintily in her hands, not quite sure how to react. She settled back against her chair and started to flip through the pages, her eyes glossing through its contents. The book was filled with formulas and important highlights in its entirety, all of which were organized neatly by chapter.

"Farkle!" A tiny exclamation escaped her.

She was rendered speechless. Goodness knew how bad she had been at math ever since kindergarten. And it wasn't even due to a lack of practice, but rather that she was just never able to wrap her head around it.

After a few moments, Riley mumbled a grateful "Thank you."

Looking pleased with himself, Farkle replied, "I figured that since I'm already tutoring you full-time, I might as well make you a textbook. There's some bits from Smackle, too. So it should be pretty useful."

As amazing as it probably seemed to Riley, Farkle didn't really have to take much time out of his schedule to make it in the first place, and he wasn't quite sure if he should be glad or ashamed about that fact. He'd basically just regurgitated most of what was already inside his head, and during the process, realized that it was a rather mindless task to begin with.

Smackle had also been with him when he conjured it with pen and paper, throwing in her own tips here and there as they bickered over which of their methods were better. Ever since they'd started dating, they often found themselves slipping back into petty arguments from time to time. It reminded Farkle of their rivalry before that, and he wondered if it was so deeply ingrained that they somehow carried it with them into their relationship.

* * *

 _"_ _What's that for?" Smackle asked, peering over Farkle's shoulder as he furiously scribbled on his newly-purchased notebook. Then, upon seeing the planet stickers strewn across the table, she added, "Or rather,_ who's _that for?"_

 _"_ _Riley," Farkle replied without looking up._

 _"_ _Hmm, I figured." Still standing, she bent down to sling an arm around his shoulders and smiled. "Do you need help?"_

 _Farkle looked up to see his girlfriend beaming down at him, seemingly determined to jump right in. This had been the first time she came over to his house for dinner with his parents, and they adored her to death. She was intelligent, pretty and talented – what wasn't to like? After the meal, he brought her up to his room to show her around. She had just been busy studying his collection of rocks before strolling up to see what he was up to._

 _After a slight pause, Farkle nodded. "Alright," he said, dragging another chair up to him so she could sit down. "What's another method to calculate area?"_

 _"_ _The shoelace method?" Smackle suggested, resting her head against his shoulder as her eyes settled on the notebook before her._

 _"_ _Ha, I don't really like that one. All that criss-crossing makes me confused," Farkle said, although he jotted it down all the same._

 _With that, Smackle suddenly blurted out, "Do_ I _make you confused?"_

 _Farkle looked at her with a puzzled expression, his brows furrowed. But before he could say another word, the girl hastily snatched his pen away from him and scribbled the shoelace method onto the notebook._

 _"_ _There," she said. "You write too slowly."_

* * *

After school, Riley accompanied Farkle home, excitement tingling at her fingertips. Despite having been friends for nearly eight years, she still hadn't gotten the chance to visit his house. She wasn't sure if it was because they'd spent so much time over at her own place or because he'd been holding out till now. Either way, she had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

Since Farkle's house wasn't situated in the common high-rise buildings of New York City, there was a fair bit of walking to do when they exited the nearest subway station. Winter days had long given way to Spring – Riley's favourite time of the year – and she skipped along the pavement, admiring the flowers that had sprouted between the cracks of the sidewalk as Farkle trailed some ways behind her.

There wasn't much traffic in the area, and the packed, concentrated apartment complexes had given way to quaint little shops and rows of white, polished townhouses. Some windows stretched from top to bottom, making it easy for one to look in and see the furniture that adorned each household. To Riley, it felt like entering a different world, and she relished each moment of it. She never once thought that the city housed a district like this.

"Mine's the last one," Farkle said after a long walk in silence, pointing ahead upon catching up with Riley.

"You were hiding such a beautiful place to yourself all this time," the girl shook her head as she feigned disappointment. "I knew your house would be gorgeous, but I certainly wasn't expecting _this_."

The two teenagers stood at the foot of a solid black, two-metre-high gate. Riley craned her neck, attempting to see what lay ahead, but all it did was give her a neck ache. Farkle whipped out his card and tapped it against a rectangular scanner attached to the pillar beside the gate. There was a soft _beep-beep_ before the gate was halved in the middle and swung inwards.

Farkle threw Riley a smile as he led the way in. "Welcome to my humble abode," he said.

The Minkuses had a large gravel driveway which housed a little stone fountain that sat on a circular patch of grass in the middle. The actual house stood a proudly a few metres away, completely made out of marble. It wasn't as large as Riley thought it would be, but it was probably because it was vertically tall rather than horizontally long. From the looks of it, there were around four stories, including a rooftop garden.

"Wow," Riley said, unable to peel her eyes off the building. "I don't think I'll be able to do much studying today."

"You betcha," Farkle replied, excitedly whisking her up the steps to the front door and into the house.

* * *

Lucas sat on a leather sofa at the corner of a small library, feeling as lost and confused as ever. He'd received an email from Mink Industries this morning offering an internship for the coming summer, and the only criteria was that he come down for an interview. So there he was, waiting for someone – anyone – to appear. The only person he had seen thus far was a middle-aged helper who led him to the room, but that was that.

All of a sudden, the blue door swung open and in strolled Riley Matthews and Farkle Minkus, catching Lucas by surprise. Riley was still too fascinated by the white bookshelves that lined the four walls of the room from floor to ceiling, to notice him. Some books were so far out of reach that matching silver ladders could even be found around the room to aid readers.

Still unable to fully comprehend the situation, Lucas sat glued to the chair, desperately willing for Farkle to look over at him, which he did. Their eyes met for a split second before Farkle winked and soundlessly slipped out of the door, closing it shut behind him.

This managed to snap Riley out of her reverie, as she spun around searching for Farkle.

 _Farkle. Farkle Minkus. Mink Industries!_ Lucas smacked his forehead in annoyance. He couldn't believe how dumb he was. That little rascal had probably lured the two of them there to settle things once and for all. He had to hand it to him, though – they both got duped.

Lucas sighed. Since they probably didn't have any other way out, they might as well get started on what they were here for.

"Farkle tricked the both of us," he said, his voice loud in the quiet room.

Riley turned towards the direction of the voice and stopped short upon seeing the well-built boy sitting awkwardly in his armchair. The premise of their situation appeared to click together for her as well, and she crossed her arms, leaning against the door she'd just entered from.

There was a slight pause before she turned her head to a side and cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting, "Farkle, you're going to get it from me when we're through with this!"

Instead of Farkle, a feminine but familiar voice rang out from the other side of the door. "Hi, sweetie!"

It was Maya.

Upon realizing who it was, Riley's anger appeared to deflate, and she slumped against the door, pushing her fringe away from her face.

"Hi," she said after a long bout of silence.

Lucas had been waiting for her to speak first. "Hey," he replied.

It was their first real exchange in months, and it suddenly hit Lucas how long it had been since they last talked. He missed her. Friend, girlfriend or sister, he missed her. Sure, he had growing feelings for Maya, but he missed Riley's genuine enthusiasm and interest in his stories. It was so easy to talk to her, and over the last couple of months, he had gotten rather lonely.

Since Riley didn't look like she had anything else to say, Lucas continued. "Did you really think ignoring me would help?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "I just didn't want to screw things up. I still had feelings for you in January and I thought that by distancing myself, I would be able to get rid of them. I told Maya that she didn't always have to hang out with me during lunch or after school but she refused to go." She smiled meekly. "I'm sorry."

Lucas couldn't believe it. Up till that very moment, Riley was still blaming herself for something that had been Maya's and his choices. He didn't know whether to be angry or sad. Perhaps he was feeling a mixture of both.

"Well, this has to stop," Lucas said, getting up on his feet. "Everything that has happened, all the decisions that have led up to this moment – they are our individual choices, Riley. None of this is _your_ fault. Whatever these feelings are, we'll work through them together. As friends. First and foremost, isn't that what we are?"

He was breathless by the time he'd finished speaking, and his chest was heaving up and down. Tears were beginning to well up in Riley's eyes and he suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He had let his temper get the better of him once again, even though he harboured good intentions.

"Riley –" he started.

"No," the girl shook her head, a small smile still plastered on her face. "You're right. I shouldn't have taken it upon myself to solve things. I should've asked for help. But this past few months have been beneficial to me, too. I've realized a couple of things – one, you're the first boy that I've ever liked, and nothing will ever change that. Two, your friendship is worth more to me than anything else from you. And three, this has been dragging on for too long. We need to start over on a clean slate."

Riley ran a hand across her eyes, wiping them dry before sucking in a deep breath.

"I know that we were never officially together, but let's break up."

Lucas felt a wave of relief wash over him. What had he been expecting? Certainly not this, but somehow, he was glad that it hadn't been anything else. Riley did both of them a huge favour by letting Lucas the Knight in Shining Armour go. No longer tied down by the past, they were finally given the freedom and room to grow and become better versions of themselves. The boy that Riley had a crush on had been a façade, and Riley, that beautiful ray of sunshine, had changed over the past year, too.

 _Sometimes things didn't work out, and that was okay._

Riley was still standing at the door, waiting for Lucas to say something. She'd been preparing this speech for a long time, but constantly held back in fear of ruining their friendship. But just moments ago, she somehow mustered the courage to say what she believed, and hoped against all odds that Lucas did too.

Finally, Lucas spoke.

"Come here, you," he said, affection pouring out of his words as he extended his arms out to Riley.

The girl immediately flew into his arms and was enclosed in a big hug. Her heart was beating fast against his chest, but it no longer had anything to do with her liking him. She closed her eyes and broke into a wide smile. How much she'd missed him.

And how much he'd missed her.

When they eventually let each other go, Lucas smiled. In certain ways, he felt renewed. There was a weight in his heart that had been lifted when Riley decided to break things off. And somehow, he knew that Riley felt the same way.

"Praise the Lord!" Maya suddenly burst into the room with Farkle and Zay at her heels. She eyed Riley and Lucas up and down, a satisfied grin on her face. "That took you guys long enough. I was getting sick and tired of watching you two ignore the heck out of each other."

Riley shook her head in disbelief. "How long had you three been planning this for?"

"Just little over a week," Farkle replied. "I'd apologize for butting in again, but Maya didn't really give me much of a choice."

Maya patted her chest proudly upon hearing the boy mention her name. "That's right. If you're mad, be mad at me. But considering how things have turned out…"

Zay laughed, shaking his head at the blonde girl's utter lack of remorse. "You're just lucky that nothing went wrong."

"Oh, it wasn't coincidence, alright," Maya gave Riley and Lucas a knowing smile. "I had faith in these two, and they didn't let me down. Riles, do you have anything else you'd like to say?"

How typical of Maya to know that she had something to add. Riley clasped her hands together, unsure of how she should put it across. As much as the past couple of months had benefitted her, there was no denying the hurt she'd caused her friends. What she did had been stupidly selfish, and she owed everyone a sincere apology.

"I promise never to do anything like that ever again," she said. And she meant every last word of it.

"You better," Maya jokingly threatened. "I'm not going to drag the two of you out of this mess again."

Farkle stepped between the two girls, eyebrows raised patronisingly. "Ladies, ladies, let's stop fighting. Now who wants a tour of the house?"

A chorus of 'yes' filled the room as everyone filed out of the library behind Farkle. There was an air of zest surrounding the five friends that had been missing for the longest time. Fortunately, it was back, and it energized each one of them with newfound spirit and gusto. Perfect timing, in fact, considering how soon their finals were coming up.

As Riley followed her friends up the staircase, she felt a hand rest on the small of her back. It was Lucas, smiling up at her. She returned the smile and turned back to face the front. It was now four months overdue, but she felt ready to take on the rest of the year.

* * *

 _A/N: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lucas and Riley have finally worked things out, so I guess that's one less thing to be confused about, am I right? (laughs sarcastically) They still haven't really figured out what they are to each other yet (sister, friend...goodness knows what), but they've come to terms with the fact that their friendship is more important and comes first before anything else. This chapter is also about letting go of the past in order to make room for the present and future. Often times we find ourselves dwelling in what was and what might have been, forgetting that we as well as the people around us are constantly growing and learning. So I guess the point is that it's important to keep moving forward and not let the past hold us back. Also, I've just managed to outline the next few chapters ahead and I'm really excited to start writing the next one! Do let me know what you think about the story thus far - I appreciate each and every fav, follow and review! Till next time :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**5: Graduation**

Maya and Farkle were over at Riley's house for dinner, courtesy of Topanga and Cory Matthews. Their teenage host had disappeared to take a shower a while ago and left her two friends to their own devices. Now sitting across from each other at the dining table, Maya was attempting to force some sort of answer out of Farkle. He had been strikingly happy the past day, grinning widely to himself every few minutes. He looked like an utter idiot, and despite his friends having tried to pry a reason out of him all day long, he refused to tell them anything.

"You're smiling so hard I can barely see your eyes!" Maya spat out, eyeing the boy in front of her. "Spill! What's gotten you in such a fine mood?"

"Patience, my dearest," Farkle replied, smiling cheekily. "I'm going to announce it during dinner."

Maya groaned, throwing her arms up in defeat. "Fine! I'm going to take a nap so time will pass faster and I won't have to consciously sit through this agonizing wait. Have fun smiling to yourself, Minkus."

She settled her head down on the table and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to sleep. But of course, she didn't really. She just wondered about Farkle, and what he might possibly have to say. And she contemplated on how fast time flew – their final exams had come and gone, and graduation from middle school was just upon them. She couldn't really process the fact that a chapter of her life was about to end.

After a few minutes of silence had passed, Maya heard several chairs around her being dragged across the ground, and the soft swish of clothing that brushed against the seats as the Matthews joined Farkle and her at the table.

She raised her head from the little nook of her arms, squinting against the sudden brightness after having closed her eyes for so long.

"Great," she said, "can the boy finally reveal his secret?"

Everyone stared expectantly at Farkle, who was gripping the edges of his chair so tightly as he rocked back and forth that he looked like a rocket about to blast off. All could tell that the answer had been on the tip of his tongue the entire day, and he was ecstatic that it could finally be spoken, though none were sure why he didn't just say it right from the beginning.

"Okay." Farkle took a deep breath, trying to suppress a smile. "So…I GOT CHOSEN AS VALEDICTORIAN!"

The last five words were blurted out so fast that it took a couple of seconds for the others (with the exception of Cory Matthews) to process what the boy had said.

"I actually knew it all along," Cory shrugged, a smug expression on his face.

But everyone ignored him as the table suddenly erupted in whoops and cheers. Topanga clapped Farkle's back with pride while Riley, sitting on his other side, clutched his hands with an elated smile. He caught her eyes with his – his heart was bursting with joy.

"I thought the surprise would be bigger than that but I guess this is pretty great too," Maya attempted to feign disinterest though really, her grin was wider than anyone else's.

At the same time, Auggie turned to Cory with a puzzled expression and asked, "What does valedictorian mean?"

Before Cory could respond, Farkle, whose gaze was still fixated on Riley, answered, "It means I'll be making a very important speech at graduation. And the thing is – I have absolutely no clue what to say."

* * *

Farkle was looking at Riley as he said it, and the girl couldn't help but feel like it was a personal plea to her for help. A plea to move him, to help inspire his speech into existence. And with no more exams to study or worry for, she decided to make it her sole mission before graduating to help her friend overcome his writer's block.

In fact, an idea was already beginning to take form.

* * *

Farkle really meant it when he said that he had no clue what to say. Words usually came easy to him, as evident from his uncanny ability to break out in unplanned and unrehearsed soliloquies about Belgium 1931 in class. But this was different.

He wasn't a detached outsider looking in, but an insider attempting to use his words to help those on the outside understand just how precious the past few years in middle school had been for him and his friends. How could he possibly summarize all of his treasured experiences in five hundred words? How could he explain to his schoolmates just how much they would miss these moments when they graduated?

He knew he was exaggerating slightly – most of them would go on to attend John Quincy Adams High. But he was sure that the innocent, carefree adolescence that had once been their middle school years would no longer be quite the same.

How could he write a speech that was addressed to the entire eighth grade but at the same time, resonated to each person on an individual level?

Farkle's mind swirled endlessly, and his first draft was due to be submitted to the teacher-in-charge in just a few days' time.

He stared blankly at the empty word document before him.

"Screw this, I'm calling Smackle."

* * *

One of the iPhones placed in the middle of the table started ringing, its strong vibration startling the group of friends who were currently deep in discussion at Topanga's café.

Riley peered over to check the caller ID and saw Farkle's name, along with a picture of his face, flashing on Smackle's phone screen.

She looked up and smirked. "Speaking of the devil…looks like your boyfriend is calling to see what you're up to, Smackle."

The bespectacled girl flashed a smile that seemed more proud than coy. She reached out to pick the phone up. "Sorry for breaking your no-phones rule," she said to Riley before answering the call.

Maya, Lucas and Riley watched as the conversation between Smackle and Farkle took place. They were only able to pick up bits and pieces of what they were talking about based on the former's responses.

"I know, Farkle," Smackle let out a little sigh. "You should take a break and get back to it again when you're feeling less bogged down…don't worry, I'm sure you'll finish it on time…"

Riley couldn't help but smile at the coincidence. A few days after Farkle had first shared the good news, she decided to gather Maya, Lucas and Smackle together to formulate a plan to help get him inspired to write his speech. They were just diving into their first meeting when he interrupted it by calling – and of all things, to rant to Smackle about how stressed he was about it.

Little did he know what was coming for him.

After a few minutes had passed, Smackle suddenly broke out into laughter. "Alright then…see you soon, Minkus," she said before hanging up.

It was strange for Riley to see the girl laugh so naturally now, especially since she used to do everything in such an awkward, robotic manner. Only Farkle could make her smile the way she did – her actions were always more natural and less guarded with him around.

"What did Farkle say that was so funny?" Lucas asked, curious.

"He said he's already started on his speech."

"That's great!" Maya gestured towards Smackle as she turned to look at Riley. "We can finally end this silly meeting."

"I wasn't finished," Smackle snapped, catching the blonde by surprise. Regaining her composure, she continued, "So far, he's written two words _._ "

Riley looked around at her friends, trying to reel in their support. "Well, I guess that's better than nothing, right?" she said. "What were they?"

Smackle pulled a straight face. "Good morning."

There was a second of stunned silence before the table erupted into fits of laughter, drawing stares from others around them. It was hilarious just imagining the deadpan way Farkle had probably said it over the phone, disappointed and annoyed with himself.

"I guess the meeting's still in session, then," Riley teased, winking at Maya.

The blonde girl groaned. "So what's your grand plan, Miss Sherlock?"

Riley shifted in her seat as she felt all eyes on her. She leant towards her group of friends and let them in on her plan, whereupon hearing it, they all agreed that it would be the best way to inspire Farkle Minkus.

They immediately got to work, searching their phones and laptops for possible videos and pictures they could send to Riley, who would then have to figure out how to use iMovie for the first time to piece them all together in a video.

Smackle watched as the girl frowned at her laptop, reading a step-by-step tutorial on how the software worked. She had always admired Riley's determination, and most of all, her undying loyalty and dedication towards her friends.

Ever since Smackle was young, her parents had ingrained in her the notion of independence – to be wary and distrustful of her peers and classmates at Einstein Academy. After all, what was the point of letting her guard down and forming close relationships with them when at the end of the day, nothing would change the fact that they were, and would continue to be, her potential competitors?

It was only after she had met Riley and Co. that she realized how friendships should work. Seeing them turn up for spelling bees and science tournaments in a bid to support Farkle over the past few years was a sight that she had become well accustomed to, and she had to admit that it raised a sort of longing in her heart, to have such people in her life that she could count on so dearly as well. And ever since she started hanging out with them on occasion, she could feel her steely and guarded heart beginning to thaw.

"What motivates you to do this for your friends?" Smackle suddenly found herself asking before she could even stop herself.

Speaking before thinking – another bad habit that she had only cultivated after spending time with them. If her parents were present, they would probably say that the only consolation was that her question sounded very much like an interrogation, or something leading up to an experimental study.

"Sorry?" Riley looked up from the glare of her computer screen, having only heard someone talk to her but not actually processing what they'd said.

Smackle nudged her head towards Riley. "This. The extravagant plans you always come up with to help your friends, even when they never said anything about needing it. Why do you do it anyway?"

Riley frowned, as if she had never been asked this question before and had to think very hard on how to respond.

"I honestly never really thought about it," she answered truthfully. "I guess it comes naturally. I feel troubled whenever I see my friends upset, so I do something about it."

"And Farkle?"

"He's one of my best friends. Of course I'll help him." Then, as an afterthought, Riley added, "And anyway, they've always helped me in return. Even when I don't ask for it."

Smackle didn't know what sort of answer she was looking for, so she just allowed to herself to fall silent, continuing to sift through past photos of Farkle in her phone. She realized that there weren't many of such before they started dating, and it was probably because she had always viewed him as her arch nemesis, or a crush that she would never be able to get close to.

But there she was now, in a position which her parents would regard as being a big fish in a small pond. That is, if they actually knew who she was mixing with in the first place.

All the times she went out with Farkle or his friends, she would cover up with a lie that she was staying back in school to study. Mr and Mrs Smackle had no clue that she had been fraternizing with the enemy, and she planned to keep it that way.

* * *

Farkle decided to go straight home from school the next day, on the basis that he had yet to complete even a paragraph of his speech. So far, he'd managed to squeeze something out after googling 'How to write a Valedictorian speech' on the internet, but that made it feel as forced as ever.

He threw his backpack onto the bed upon reaching his room and flung himself down beside it, heaving a huge sigh. He let himself enjoy the sheer softness of his mattress and stared up at his planetarium ceiling for a couple of moments before sitting up again, preparing himself to get down to business.

The boy started by unpacking his bag, fishing out the day's assignments and his pencil case. But as he did so, something shiny caught his eye. He opened his bag wider to get a closer look and realized that it was a CD glinting in its transparent casing. He picked it up and read the bolded words written neatly on the masking tape that was stuck to the front:

 **FOR INSPIRATION**

Farkle's eyes lit up – inspiration was clearly what he needed. So desperate was he that he didn't even bother worrying about the possible computer viruses the CD might host before inserting it into his computer's disk drive.

A little icon popped up on the desktop a few seconds later and he clicked on it, waiting eagerly for its contents to load.

A window to a video suddenly opened, and the first thing Farkle saw was his own face – chubbier and rounder with young age – grinning at the camera. Music started to play in the background, and he identified it as _Two Door Cinema Club's_ Undercover Martyn. The upbeat tune was matched against an off-screen voice that he recognized as younger Riley's, which exclaimed, "Is the camera working? Is it? Say hello, Farkle!"

He chuckled at the memory it triggered from the recesses of his brain. Riley, Maya and him were in 5th Grade, working together on an English project that required them to film and act out a sequence. They were younger then, and it was way before anyone else had entered their lives – Lucas, Zay or Smackle.

Farkle proceeded to watch the rest of the 7-minute video, which was essentially a montage of his time at John Quincy Adams Middle School. It was strung together by shaky video clips and pictures, all of which caused a pang of nostalgia and sentimentality to hit the boy, as he was reminded once again of the fruitful and precious time he had spent there.

He let out a smile as he mentally sifted through a list of people that could have possibly spent so much time and effort on this – a smile which grew wider when he finally settled on a name. A warm feeling rose in his chest and stayed there for a long time – as long as it took for him to finish his speech (which he managed in under two hours) and long after that.

* * *

It was finally here. Their day of graduation, which honestly shouldn't seem that big of a deal, but just was to Riley. Her time in middle school had blessed her with countless lessons and opportunities, as well as wonderful friends that she would cherish forever if she could. But at the same time, she felt that this official parting from a period in their lives signalled the start of a new adventure, which of course, would see them treading the deep waters of high school.

The entire cohort was packed to the front of the auditorium, sitting according to alphabetical order of their last names. This resulted in Riley and Farkle sitting just a few seats away from each other, but with Maya, Lucas and Zay scattered randomly in other rows.

Parents were seated right behind the last row of graduating students, all fidgeting about to get a glimpse of their children.

Principal Yancy was currently delivering his speech onstage, but Riley found herself unable to concentrate. She kept looking over to where Farkle sat on her far right, shoulders relaxed and eyes focused intently on the speaker in front of them.

The morning after she had slipped the completed CD into Farkle's bag when he wasn't looking, he came to school in a chirpier mood than he had been in days. Her easiest guess was that the video had done its job, and she was excited to hear what he had to say.

Riley was only snapped out of her thoughts when Principal Yancy finally called Farkle onstage. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "please join me in welcoming the valedictorian of the graduating batch of 2015 – Mr. Farkle Minkus!"

The auditorium erupted in applause, with a few whoops here and there that Riley was sure came from Zay and Lucas.

"Good luck," she mouthed to the boy as he squeezed past the other sitting students to get to the aisle.

Farkle looked exceptionally studious despite wearing a ridiculous shimmery purple gown, and confidence was what he exuded as he walked up the stage and to the podium. He had a piece of paper in his hands, but he didn't even have to look at it once he started the speech with a soft "ahem".

"A very good morning to our distinguished guests, parents, teachers and friends. Those close to me would probably know how troubled I was over the last couple of days, thinking about what to write for this speech. I had so much that I wanted to say, but I didn't know how to put them into words.

"But thanks to the help of some of my dearest friends, I know now how.

"Contrary to the idea that there's only ever one of us, we actually spend our entire lives switching through different personas – the people we were yesterday aren't the people we are today. And neither will the people we are tomorrow, be the people we are today. To highlight an example, I, myself, have been a hundred different Farkles during my time here in middle school.

"Some of you might recognise me as the geeky boy who loves orange turtle necks, while others remember me as Donnie Barnes, regular guy. Then there's those who just view me as their friend, foe, brother, boyfriend…the list goes on. A list that will keep growing as we continue on with our lives.

"Now what's the point that I'm trying to make here? It's that we've all experienced things over the last few years that have changed us – be it for better or for worse – but we aren't going to stay stagnant. We will refuse to. There's a hundred other versions of us waiting in the coming years, and we will embrace them with open arms because like someone I highly respect once said to me, _people change people_. And what is progress without change?

Let's not look upon this day as an end because honestly, it is merely the beginning of a new adventure. If there's anything my time here has taught me, it's that there's countless possibilities out there – to become a changed person, to chase your dreams, to help others.

Things will probably get really, really hard and really, really confusing. But with each day that passes, you will shed your old skin and grow a new one. Hopefully we will like who we become at the end of the day, but till then, the best bet is to welcome change and most importantly, hold close the people who mean the world to you. What's better than growing alone, is to grow and learn together.

So give the person next to you a pat on the back, or even a hug. Congrats guys, school's out for the summer. But be prepared for what lies ahead, because although one milestone has come to an end, our journey of growth has just begun."

With that, Farkle stepped out from behind the podium and bowed to the audience, signalling the end of his speech.

Riley jumped to her feet and started clapping, leading the applause that spread from the front to the back till everyone in the auditorium was standing up and cheering for the lanky boy on stage.

Although this was Farkle's moment, Riley felt as if she herself were in his place. Dizzying happiness washed over her and she smiled so hard that her cheeks hurt.

When her friend was on the top of the world, she was on the top of the world too.

* * *

After the ceremony was over, everyone was ushered from the hall to the reception area to take photographs and grab a bite at the buffet table. The room was abuzz with chatter and laughter as Farkle weaved through the crowded space of parents and students.

He could feel pats on his back and words of congratulations being tossed over to him as he passed by, and he smiled gratefully in response to each one of them. But he was distracted. There was someone that he wanted to find – and thank.

He finally managed to locate said someone standing awkwardly at a side of the room, a fruit punch clutched in her hand as she peered around with her neck outstretched, as if searching for someone too.

Farkle sneaked up behind her and teased, "Looking for me?"

The girl turned around, looking like she was about to brace herself to chase someone away before she seeing who it was.

Her face softened significantly, eyes sparkling beneath her black-rimmed glasses. "Oh, there you are," she said. "You were fantastic up there, Farkle."

"Thanks to you," Farkle gestured towards her. "I wouldn't have done it without your help."

Smackle's face scrunched up in confusion ever-so-slightly. "My help?" She echoed.

Farkle's smiled. His chest swelled in a way it never did around her before. _Look at that girl,_ he thought. _And there I was thinking that she would boast about it._

"Yeah," he replied, "the video you made inspired me greatly. And I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate it – it and _you_ , of course."

Smackle hesitated for a split-second, too quick for Farkle to register in his state of euphoria.

"Oh right," she masked her lie with a smile, which she hoped didn't look too desperate, or like she was hiding something. "You're welcome."

Farkle studied Smackle for a moment, weighing his options. He had been holding something off for the longest time, but he felt that it was finally the right time to do it.

Taking a hold of the girl's hands, Farkle pulled Smackle closer to him, chuckling when he saw how her eyes enlarged at the sudden action. He had read tons of books and watched countless more movies – surely he should have a semblance of how kissing worked.

Lean forward, eyes closed…

"What the heck, Farkle," a voice abruptly broke the couple apart.

It was none other than Maya Hart, her golden curls bouncing as she bulldozed her way through. There was an empty line carved out behind her where the crowd was sliced in two, showing the path of destruction that she had created to get there.

"You certainly enjoy interrupting things," Smackle commented disdainfully.

"It's not my fault. Our parents are the ones who want to take a group photo." Maya turned to Farkle, "We called your name five times over the speaker!" Then, regarding Smackle, "Come help us take the pic, would you?"

Smackle smiled sullenly. "Of course. Lead the way."

* * *

Cory Matthews approached his daughter, who was sneakily grabbing a chocolate éclair from the buffet table, looking back and forth to make sure no one was watching.

"You forgot to look behind you," he placed a hand on Riley's shoulder, causing her hunched figure to jolt up in surprise.

Riley turned around slowly, a nervous grin plastered on her face that screamed 'Caught in the act!' She frantically stuffed the pastry into her mouth and laughed nervously.

"This is my fifth one," she explained in-between chews. Her words were rounded and slightly inaudible. "I think the kids standing there saw me too many times."

She shook her head frustratedly. "They shouldn't look at me! I'm a bad influence!"

Always so exaggerated and comical – that was one of the things that Cory loved about his daughter.

He was supposed to be walking around and making sure that the reception was running smoothly. But the atmosphere was beginning to die down and most people were already starting to take their leave, so he decided to find his daughter before she ran off with her friends.

"So how are you feeling?" He asked. It was a serious question which answer he was curious to find out. His girl was growing up so incredibly fast that sometimes he could feel her slipping away. He had heard of other parents' horror stories about how their children would rebel relentlessly and spew vulgarities once they'd hit a certain age. He had hoped against all odds that the time would never come. So far, it's been working miraculously well.

Riley smiled thoughtfully. "Excited. And nervous. But mostly excited."

Cory put an arm around her shoulders and gave it a tight squeeze. She looked up and leaned against him like she'd always did since young.

"I'm quite excited too, actually," he said. "But do you know how I really feel?"

Riley wrapped an arm around his waist and placed her free hand on her hip, leaning backwards to get a better view of her father, dressed nicely in a suit and tie.

"How do you feel, dad?" She asked.

"Proud. Really proud."

* * *

 **A/N: Hi guys! I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, but I was really bogged down by work so I could only write small snippets at a time each night. Despite this, I hope you all have enjoyed this (extremely) long chapter! J In fact, this chapter marks the end of the first part of this story – Middle School. The other two parts are Summer followed by High School. And guess who finally makes an appearance in the next chapter?! *wink* Joshua Matthews *wink* Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! Keep them coming guys, I would really appreciate it :') Till the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**6: Home**

On days where nothing much was brewing amongst their group of friends, Maya and Riley would spend time at the latter's house engaging in their own activities. But whatever they did, they would do in Riley's room such that they were never apart. It was a routine that had been specially cultivated over their many years of friendship.

While Riley was attempting to catch up on her embarrassingly long list of 'to-be-read' books, Maya was perched on the bay window, stringing together some tunes on her guitar which she randomly plucked from her brain.

Altogether, a lazy, peaceful atmosphere hung about them that made the two girls wish they didn't have to interrupt it when the time came.

But someone had to, and it was Riley, who closed her book with a soft _thud_ as she turned to face her friend _._

"Maya," she called.

"Hmm?"

"I have something to tell you."

Maya resisted a smirk at the way Riley said it, which tittered on the edge of someone trying to hide a big reveal. She laid her guitar down at her side and smiled.

"What is it, sweetchumps?"

Riley unconsciously traced a finger up and down the spine of her book – which had the title _Six of Crows_ emblazoned on it – as she figured the best way to put the news across. She decided that short and sweet was the way to go.

"Uncle Josh is coming back to New York today. My dad just told me about it last night." Riley paused, waiting for Maya to react.

This sudden reveal caused Maya to freeze for a second, a second which brought back a flurry of unwanted emotions. She obviously knew that Josh would be returning one day. After all, school at New York University was starting in September and soon she'd be seeing him all the time.

She imagined that the old Maya would have jumped about ecstatically at the thought of having more time to spend with 'Uncle Boing', but after their encounter at the subway months ago, they had both reached some sort of conclusion that the pursuit of any kind of romance with anyone would be useless and futile.

That was probably why Josh's impending visit made her feel awkward. It was like she had broken some sort of unspoken agreement between them when she started having feelings for Lucas. But she supposed that he would never have to know – unless, of course, he asked.

"Maya? Hello, earth to Maya?" Riley waved a hand in front of her face in an attempt to get her attention.

The girl suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, sitting up straight. "Oh, right, cool," she smiled without further elaboration.

Riley appeared confused at her friend's response. "That's it?" She questioned. "You'd usually be jumping up and down or raiding my wardrobe for a new outfit by now."

Maya gave her look, which Riley managed to pick up on, as evident from her slow nod of realization.

"Right," she said. "Lucas. I almost forgot."

Lucas was still not an easy topic for the two to talk about. Although Riley no longer harboured any feelings for him, Maya knew that it still pained her to know that her first relationship did not turn out the way she expected it to. That was why despite Riley's constant reassurances that it was _perfectly fine_ for them to date, the idea of it still felt uncomfortable and foreign.

"So do you still like Josh?" Riley gently prodded, her head tilting to one side like it always did whenever she was asking a question or attempting to figure someone out.

As much as she would like to, Maya did not have an answer to that question. Both boys meant something to her, and likewise, both of them didn't – or wouldn't – work out for several reasons.

She shrugged in response. "You know as much as I do, Riles."

The brunette frowned. "Which is…nothing?"

Maya laughed, playfully ruffling her best friend's hair. "Exactly!"

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when the doorbell to the Matthews' apartment rang.

"He's here!" Riley exclaimed, rushing past her father to pull the door open.

She was greeted by Joshua Matthews, who didn't look any different apart from his shorter, cropped hair. He had with him a large red suitcase and a bar of chocolate from the last country he visited, which was Australia. It was a tradition that the Matthews had adopted when Cory and Topanga first moved to New York and gave their families chocolates that could only be found in the city when they returned to visit.

"Heyya niece," Josh greeted with his usual toothy grin, opening his arms to invite Riley into a hug.

"Heyya Uncle," she said as she wrapped her arms around him before letting go. "You're looking real good these days."

Josh grabbed the handle of his luggage and dragged it into the house, closing the front door behind him. He stifled a laugh at Riley's comment. "And tanner too, I hope. All that Australian sunshine better have done me some good."

"You do know that too much exposure to sun causes skin cancer, right?" Cory butted in, stepping forward to receive him. Although his words sounded threatening, there was a large smile on his face that was reserved only for his precious little brother.

"I applied sunscreen, I promise," Josh replied, putting an arm around Cory's shoulder and patting it. "It's good to see you again, brother."

"Likewise," Cory said, taking the luggage from him when he spotted the bar of _Bahen & Co_ chocolate in his hands.

He batted his eyelashes, pointing to himself. "For meeeee?"

Josh grimaced. "Not after that – Riley, catch!" He tossed the prettily packaged bar of chocolate to his niece, who caught it with much delight.

All of this Maya watched from the entrance of Riley's room, a smile tugging at the edge of her lips. Just watching the Matthews' interaction made her feel so warm and homey inside. That was partly the reason why she allowed herself to get so close to her best friend in the first place – their joy and love was infectious.

"Where's Maya?" Josh asked all of a sudden, swivelling his head around to look for her.

The girl took this as her cue to make her appearance. She stepped out from Riley's room and waved, her face unwittingly breaking into a grin.

"Hey there, Uncle Boing," she greeted. For old times' sake.

Josh raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Not going to jump on me this time?"

Maya laughed. "No," she shook her head. "Unless you want me to."

Josh smiled in response, looking her straight in the eyes for a moment before shifting his gaze back to Cory. "So anyway, I'm not lingering here for long today," he said. "I've got a couple of apartments waiting for me to visit. Riley, want to come with?"

"I promised mum and dad that I'll babysit Auggie while they go for dinner today," Riley shrugged. "Sorry, Josh."

"How about you, Maya?" He asked, nodding towards the blonde girl.

Maya had not seen that coming, but she supposed there was no harm in wanting to catch up. "Yeah, sure. Why not?" she asked rhetorically. "Now?"

Josh took off his black leather jacket and hung it on the clothes rack beside the door before beckoning for her to come forward.

"Yeah, let's go!"

* * *

The plan was this – three apartments in two hours, all of which were within walking distance of each other.

With this in mind, Maya and Josh made their way to the first apartment, walking side by side along the pavement that felt warm and blistery under the heat of the summer sun. They had never gone out together like this before – just the two of them, without any of the other Matthews around. It made Maya's hands tingle, causing her to cross and uncross her arms as they walked.

Up till now, they had been making small talk that kept drifting off into silence, something which dissatisfied Maya. She was never a fan of pointless beating around the bush, but despite being as direct and confrontational as a girl could get, she somehow couldn't get herself to spit out the question that was itching at the back of her throat for the past hour.

"Look, a rainbow!" Josh suddenly exclaimed as he pulled to a halt.

Maya snapped her head up, irritated. "I'm not a _kid,_ Josh. You don't need to use that kind of tone with me."

"No, but really – just look," Josh continued unperturbed, tapping her shoulder to divert her attention to the bend of the rainbow that sliced the sky in two.

They were directly beneath it, such that they couldn't see where the two ends stopped, seemingly going on for miles and miles above the brick buildings of New York City. It came out of nowhere – one of the beautiful, random occurrences that Maya had come to appreciate of the city over the years.

"It's pretty," she found herself relaxing as she said so, looking towards Josh with a smile.

He dug his hands into the shallow pockets of his jeans and resumed walking, nodding his head slowly at her comment. "You should definitely paint it," he suggested. "Riley told me…how much you like art."

The fact that he knew that came as a surprise to Maya. She should've known that Riley talked to Josh about her, but it was just something that never really came across her mind before. Not that she minded, really. Art was a passion of hers that she couldn't bother to hide from others.

She grinned at the thought of setting one of her thick stroke brushes to paper. "Yeah, I enjoy it," she finally answered. "A lot. In fact, let me try and capture this moment so I can paint it after. It's not every day that we get to see a rainbow in the city, you know."

Josh shook his head, chuckling. "Actually, I don't know. Back in my home town, we see rainbows so often that they hardly excite us anymore. I guess it isn't the same here."

Maya ran her eyes across the arch of the rainbow, taking in the seven faint, translucent colours that seemed to amalgamate together under the backdrop of the sky. She observed the grey rooftops of the brick buildings around them, and the way the clouds drifted lazily above them.

Unbeknownst to her, Josh was observing her thoughtfully, admiring the gentle way she put down to memory the surrounding sights. He could see other passers-by whip their smartphones out to take multiple shots of the rainbow in different angles, but for Maya, all of this was done in her head.

He realized at that very moment that this was a girl who lived _in_ the present and _for_ the present – something that was extremely rare these days. She was a girl who plunged headfirst into conversations, expecting to enlighten and to be enlightened in return. And there he was, letting events of the past reduce him to meaningless small talk for the better part of this trip.

"Hey Maya," he said, the mention of her name causing her to look up at him. "Tell me more about the city. I want to get the authentic New York experience."

The right side of Maya's lips tugged up into a smile. "Authentic New York experience, huh? You've come to the right person."

The two had made it to the final apartment with twenty minutes to spare and were presently taking stock of the various furniture and amenities that were available while being shown around by the owner of the studio, a woman named Emma Chapman.

She was rambling on about the Wi-Fi connection when she stopped at the foot of the bed and swept her gaze across Maya and Josh. "If it concerns you, the mattress is extremely comfortable and springy, so…"

Josh quickly shook his hand in a frantic attempt to mitigate whatever assumption the woman had about them.

"It's not like that!" he said the same time Maya shouted, "I'm 15!"

Emma stepped back, startled by the sudden outburst of her potential new tenants. "Alright, alright. You're all still kids to me anyway. As I was saying…"

Maya was blushing furiously at the scenario that Emma had implied and tried her best to compose herself and brush it off. But it didn't help that Josh gave her an awkward smile behind the woman's back as she eventually found herself spending the rest of the house tour trying to get the thought out of her mind.

After the tour had ended and the two bid farewell to their guide, they found themselves standing on the porch of the apartment building, the sky above them already darkened and the streetlamps lined along the street lit up.

Before Maya could say anything, Josh piped up, "do you want to grab a bite before going home?"

Something inside the girl said to turn the offer down, but her stomach had other plans, choosing that very moment to growl, giving her state of hunger away.

Both pairs of eyes dropped down to look at her stomach for a second before the air was punctuated with their laughter.

"I guess it's a yes then," Josh said. "Lead the way, Maya. Where can we get a good meal around here?"

"Wait," Maya said, finding the words to the question that she had been wanting to ask all day. "Before we go, tell me, Josh. Why are you suddenly so nice to me?"

"What?" Josh raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You were never really keen on hanging out with me before this. Why the sudden change today?" Maya made sure that her arms were crossed to show that she was being serious.

Sensing the previously amicable atmosphere drop, the boy cast his gaze down at his feet, kicking against a stray pebble and sending it bouncing down the steps of the porch. He appeared somewhat abashed.

"That's because I've always looked to you as Riley's best friend," he started. "But after that day on the subway, and after the night you sneaked into the party, I realized that I should stop looking at you that way."

Maya nodded in understanding. She had come to terms with that fact a long time ago. "But I never thought of you as Riley's uncle," she said. "To me, you were always just Josh."

He couldn't help but smile at the term. "Just Josh – it's quite fitting isn't it? I used to think too highly of myself when all this while I was actually _just_ Josh."

Maya wanted to tell him that he meant more than that to her, and that a 'just' couldn't possibly sum up all there was to him – as a brother, an uncle, a friend. But to be frank, there was no denying that he _had_ been a horrid friend, although that could be attributed to the fact that he never really entertained the possibility of her being one in the first place.

Seeing that she remained silent, Josh continued. "I'd like to get to know you as you are now. Will you let me?"

His eyes were bright with anticipation as Maya considered his explanation for a moment. She had always been wary with who she gave her heart to, but when she did, she would sing their praise from the rooftops. Josh had been her first and last of such, but she knew that what he was currently talking about was exclusive to friendship. And strangely enough, Maya found it awfully relieving. She simply wasn't interested in jumping into any relationships after seeing what it could do – case in point, Lucas and Riley.

After what felt like the longest pause, Maya bounded down the stairs and beckoned to Josh the same way he did to her earlier during the day.

"I will if you let me bring you to get dollar pizza for dinner," she said, to which Josh grinned and let out a sigh of relief as he followed after her.

* * *

The pizza place was just a block away from Riley's apartment, and due to its shockingly affordable prices, it was crowded all through the day, with dinner being no exception.

Thankfully, Maya was all-too accustomed to the crowd, and she grabbed the sleeve of Josh's shirt as she led him through the thick line of adults who were merely queuing for takeaways. She was bringing him to a small seating area at the back of the store which was hidden out of plain sight, unknown to most who only dropped by from time to time.

But being a frequent patron and having built good rapport with the chef, Maya was often reserved a seat for whenever she came. In fact, there was even a smiley faced sticker stuck to the metal chair where she usually sat.

However, it was presently occupied by a group of teenagers who were laughing away at a joke, the white paper plates in front of them wiped clean save for a couple of leftover crumbs. Maya nudged her way forward and was about to put in a word when she froze upon realizing who they were.

Her gaze was fixated on the boy sitting right across from her, staring at her grip on Josh's arm with his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Lucas?"

* * *

 **A/N: Hey there, I hope** **you guys enjoyed this chapter! :) I've recently had time to write because we just had a four-day long weekend due to the Chinese New Year celebrations, but it's back to work for me again tomorrow. Boohoo. But anyway, I really had fun writing Maya and Josh's interactions, so much so that I actually had to leave out some of their other conversations and keep them for later chapters. I really do miss Josh's presence (and cute face ha ha) in the show and I'm so glad that Uriah is returning for season 3! On a side note, I wish you guys a great week ahead and please leave a favourite or review if you're liking this story so far! It means a lot :') See you in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**7: Revelations**

"Maya? What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, taken aback by her sudden appearance.

His eyes flitted back and forth between the girl and her companion, who was none other than Joshua Matthews, with hair cut short and a puzzled expression written on his face. Maya had withdrawn her hand from the sleeve of his shirt, but it still lingered mid-air with the ghost of her touch.

She noticed Lucas staring and immediately crossed her arms, sticking her chin out. "I should be the one asking _you_ that question," she said. "And who are _they_?"

Maya was referring to the two boys that sat with their backs toward her, although by then, they had both turned around to find out who the person who interrupted their conversation was. They seemed to be the same age as Lucas, perhaps even slightly older, but they were undoubtedly strong and muscular as evident from their athletic figures.

Lucas hesitated, something which was given away by his shifty eyes. "They're my friends from John Quincy Adams High," he explained, relenting. "We were having dinner, that's all."

Maya frowned as she tried to put the pieces together. Never once had she heard Lucas mention anything about having high school friends. She pressed him further. "How did that happen?"

The boy sitting on the right grinned, a dimple denting his right cheek. He had dark brown hair that could champion Josh's.

"You mean he hasn't told you about this?" He reached back to give Lucas a solid shake on the shoulder. "Our boy here was specially picked by our coach to join the football team when school starts this fall!"

Lucas smiled sheepishly, nodding his head towards the boy who just spoke. "That's Noah," he introduced, "and the other guy's Adam –"

"–Ada _mant_ for you to introduce yourself," the other boy butted in, winking at Maya. Unlike Noah, his hair was a light flaxen colour, a stark contrast to brown. It was oddly ironic, considering how similar they were in both appearance and size.

It took Maya all she had to stop herself from grimacing outwardly. If that had been Adam's attempt to flirt with her, it certainly wasn't working. Josh coughed from beside her in a feeble attempt to make his presence known.

"Oh right, where are my manners?" Maya rolled her eyes. "This is Josh, and I'm Maya."

Noah raised his hand in a show of solidarity. "Nice meeting ya'll… _Josh and Maya_." He spoke the two names slowly like he was trying to commit them to memory.

Lucas looked at Maya and asked if they wanted to join them at the table.

Unfortunately, she wasn't very interested in getting to know his friends – at least not on a personal level. What she did behind their backs was a different story. She shared a look with Josh that confirmed her suspicion that he didn't want to hang around either.

"It's alright," she told Lucas. "We'll just be getting our pizzas before heading home."

Lucas nodded. "See you around then. And oh, welcome back, Josh."

Josh flashed him a quick smile before going after Maya, who had already turned to leave and was subtly signalling for him to do the same.

From behind, one of the boys – Maya wasn't sure _which_ one as they both sounded the same with their smug, boyish lilt – called after them. "Looking forward to seeing you two freshman year!"

Maya grabbed Josh's wrist, dragging him back where they came from as they were once again swallowed whole by the post-work crowd.

"Is it just me or are those two guys acting like their fathers own the ground we walk on?" She leaned in towards Josh and whispered through gritted teeth.

"Well, they certainly have a knack for making others _feel_ small," Josh regarded bitterly, shaking his head in disbelief. "They thought I was your age! I'm pretty sure I'm at least two years older than them."

Maya led them to the start of the queue, which had shortened considerably since they first arrived. She used to have a venomous hatred for associations to age whenever it had to do with Josh, but it slackened quite a fair bit ever since she accepted the fact that they would always have this obstructive three-year gap between them no matter how much she avoided it.

"I just hope they aren't bad company," she spoke mostly to herself, pondering over the idea of Lucas joining the football team. It didn't take much for her to acknowledge that even if he hadn't been talent-spotted, he'd most likely still wind up there in due course anyway. She just wasn't sure why he didn't tell any of them about the presumably good news. A small part of her was disappointed by this, though he didn't owe it to her to inform her of every single detail of his life.

The line shuffled forward a few steps.

"Don't worry about it. High school's a mess ninety-percent of the time," Josh said upon seeing the pensive look on the girl's face.

Maya looked up at him. He was still a good few inches taller even though she was wearing heeled boots. "What's the other ten percent?" She asked, curious to find out.

Josh smirked, as if finding his answer clever even before he said it out loud. "That ten percent," he pointed towards Maya, "is you trying to figure that mess out."

"Boy, high school sure sounds like a whole lot of fun," Maya deadpanned. If she had her reservations about high school before, she certainly wasn't looking forward to it now.

They reached the sales counter, the greasy yet appetizing scent of dollar pizzas hitting them like a train. The man that stood behind it looked Italian, complete with a moustache that one could twirl its ends with, and upon seeing Maya, his eyes brightened.

"Maya darling!" He exclaimed with a wave of his calloused hands. The front of his white apron was spotted with different shades of red from both new and old stains. "One slice of pizza for you? And with extra chili flakes on top!"

Maya grinned, gesturing towards Josh who was presently eyeing the chefs running back and forth in the back kitchen with platters of freshly-baked pizzas in their hands. "Make that two, Antonio," she corrected. "This is Riley's uncle, Josh."

The mention of his name drew his attention back to the man before him, who raised his eyebrows in recognition. "Ah, so you are _the_ Joshua Matthews? Maya has told me a lot about you," he teased before whisking out two plates of pizza. "These are on the house, take them!"

"Please Antonio, you don't have to," Maya said, sliding two one dollar bills across the counter before he could protest. She picked the plates up and quickly handed one over to Josh as she tried to hide her reddening face, making way for the next customer to place her order. "See you soon!"

The two squeezed their way out of the front door and onto the sidewalk, which was currently scattered with other patrons wolfing down their pizzas whilst standing up. They leant their backs against the storefront and watched as passers-by scuttled hurriedly towards their next destination.

"Hey," Maya said out of the blue. She raised her pizza slice between them. "Cheers."

Josh grinned, flashing his set of pearly white teeth as he held up his own slice and knocked it against Maya's in the imitation of clinking wine glasses. "Cheers," he echoed before taking a bite of the pizza.

Maya watched as he savoured it, a blissful expression spreading across his face. "So how is it?" She asked.

"Really good," Josh licked his lips. "Why doesn't he just open a restaurant?"

"He doesn't believe in overcharging people for good food," Maya shrugged.

"That's why dollar pizza?"

She nodded, smiling. "That's why dollar pizza."

Then, as if recalling something, she suddenly frowned. "Oh and sorry we couldn't get a seat," she apologised.

Josh waved her apology away. "It's fine, seriously. Didn't I tell you that I want to get the authentic New York experience? I'm really liking the novelty of this dollar pizza thing."

Maya looked down at the plate that she had just wiped clean, not bothering to conceal her growing smile. She'd almost forgotten why she was so apprehensive about going out with Josh this afternoon.

 _See?_ She told herself, _there was nothing to worry about in the first place._

* * *

Just a block away, Riley was cooped up at home babysitting Auggie, who frankly speaking, didn't really need much looking after at all. Beyond his frivolous curls and baby face, her brother was well matured beyond his years – at least compared to how Riley was when she was his age.

At present, he was draped across the sofa watching old re-runs of _Blue's Clues_ on TV while Riley and Farkle were sitting on the floor, engaged in a heated discussion about what the latter should get for Smackle's upcoming birthday.

Farkle had conveniently invited himself over an hour ago – this time through the front door – to seek the girl's advice on such matters that were her areas of expertise.

"How about flowers to start it off?" Riley asked, spinning a purple marker in her hands. "Then you guys can go for dinner at a candle-lit restaurant and take a stroll in the park right after! Doesn't that sound romantic?"

She had laid a piece of paper down in front of them which was now filled to the edges with scribbles, cancellations and even more cancellations as they bounced suggestions back and forth one another.

"Smackle doesn't like gestures that are too romantic. She finds them cheesy," Farkle commented, crossing out the bouquet of flowers that Riley had just excitedly drawn.

Seeing her little masterpiece get scribbled over yet again made Riley feel slightly exasperated. "So she doesn't like presents that remind her too much of her science-y side and presents that are overly romantic? What's left!"

Farkle smiled at her outburst, though the second she looked at him, he wiped his expression clean and feigned seriousness.

"Yeah, well, that's why I came to you," he said. "You're probably the only person who can come up with something."

Riley pondered over this for a moment, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. From all her interactions with Smackle, she had always come across as someone who knew exactly what she wanted and made sure that she got it. It was not difficult for anyone to see that, especially considering her stellar report cards and frightfully colourful extra-curricular activities.

"Why don't…why don't you just give her what she wants?" Riley laid it out simply for him. "What does she _want_ , Farkle?"

For once, he was at a loss for words. "I-I don't know," he finally answered, a hint of shame in his voice.

Riley didn't let her surprise translate over to her face. His response was bewildering because to her, Farkle had always been the silent observer – the one who took notice of the little things and went out of the way to get to know his friends and loved ones inside out. And even if they didn't tell him how they felt straight to his face, he always just knew.

But he didn't have to know that.

Riley didn't want him to feel any worse than he already did, so she just cupped her hand over his and gave it a tight, reassuring squeeze.

"Just ask her then," she said gently. "You still have a couple of days."

Farkle looked down at their hands before meeting her eyes. Without knowing it, her thumb had started stroking his hand comfortingly, gliding across his skin – up, down, up, down. It wasn't the first time she did that, but it felt different somehow. He tried his best to ignore it, refocusing his thoughts back on Smackle.

He sighed. "I just want to make it good enough for her, you know? Especially after that video she made to help me with my speech –"

Riley suddenly recoiled, cutting Farkle's sentence short. A rush of questions begged for release. But first, she had to make sure she wasn't hearing it wrong.

"What did you say?" She clarified.

Farkle had no clue what brought about that reaction from her, so he just decided to follow along.

"You should know what I'm talking about, right?" He said. "I'm sure Smackle enlisted your help to get some of the pictures and footage. The inspiration video she got you to slip into my bag? It was why I managed to come up with my valedictorian speech in the first place."

Riley wasn't sure how to respond, much less how she should feel about the sudden discovery. One part of her screamed 'BETRAYAL!' and yet the other stayed calm and composed, searching furiously for the most logical thing to do.

That would have worked out fine except for the fact that Riley was never one to be logical. And whenever she _did_ try to be logical, her judgements were often skewed. It was mostly because she was driven by her love for her friends, and she cared too much about them to ever think straight, what more logically.

Forcing out her squinty-eyed grin, she laughed, slapping Farkle on his arm.

"Oh right!" She chastised herself. "How could I forget? Silly me. Ignore what just happened."

Farkle eyed her puzzledly. "Riley…are you okay?"

The soft chatter of the television in the background suddenly grew much louder as it came into focus. Remembering her job for the evening, Riley turned to the sofa and saw that Auggie had fallen asleep, his mouth slightly open.

She got up to tuck a cushion under his head before answering Farkle. "I'm fine, really. You should go. My parents will be coming home any time now."

Farkle got up to his feet and dusted off his jeans, throwing Riley a knowing look. He wanted to know what she was really thinking, but after the events that unfolded on New Years' Eve, he thought better against it.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" He told her as she walked him to the front door.

Riley had her lips drawn into a thin line. "I know," she replied, pulling the door open.

Farkle was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the timely arrival of Joshua Matthews, who had just returned home from his day out with Maya. Josh broke out into a huge grin upon seeing the boy.

"Hey, man," he greeted, briefly pulling Farkle into a hug. "You've grown into quite the handsome young man since I last saw you."

Farkle smiled shyly, still unused to the increasing number of compliments that he had been receiving over the last couple of months. "Says the handsome young man himself," he replied before stepping out into the hallway.

Not wanting to intrude any longer, he bid farewell to the two Matthews and made his way to the lift, the echoes of Riley and Josh's conversation at the doorway continuing to travel down to him.

"Where's Maya?" Riley asked.

"I walked her home. She brought me to get dollar pizza for dinner. And guess what…"

There was a soft click as their front door swung shut, and their voices disappeared all at once. Farkle turned back to look at it, a furrow appearing between his eyebrows as he tried to comprehend what just happened.

Riley never really was as simple as she seemed.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! The previous chapter got me pumping so I couldn't help but dive straight into writing the next one - no complaints there, right? Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed this little chapter. It appears that both Riley and Maya's day couldn't have played out more differently. Also, Adam and Noah are my OCs and they'll probably be making more appearances later into the story. I wasn't planning on introducing them so early on but one of the reviews just got me thinking about who I should have Maya find Lucas with. It was initially supposed to be Zay and Farkle but I guess.. :) Anyway, I managed to watch Girl Meets Bay Window today and call me whatever but I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the elements that I touch on in this story with regards to high school and graduation so far brought up in the episode :') Maybe you can try making the links after watching it! Alright, that's enough of rambling - thanks for all the support so far and do tell me what you think about this chapter! Till next time :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**8: Promises**

Maya was up early the next morning – something that surprisingly wasn't a difficult feat for her to accomplish. Judging by her lazy and sluggish demeanour in class, one would expect her to carry the same characteristics into her sleeping habits. But while she was a late sleeper, she could certainly be counted upon to be up and running by the time dawn broke. Which was why her morning routine usually consisted of waking Riley up for school.

After Josh had walked her home the night before, she was in a constant state of euphoria for the next hour or so, unable to keep herself from smiling. The very fact that he finally viewed her as an individual separate from being just 'Riley's best friend' meant a lot to her.

And while it was undeniable that her feelings for Josh remained, it had been greatly subdued during the many months of his absence, replaced in turn by her growing attraction to Lucas. So now that he was back, it was as if her emotions were taking a turn in a washing machine, spun and whittled dry till it was impossible for her to figure things out. This was why she decided that she would stay impartial and single till she knew the answer. Anyway, it wasn't as if Maya Hart needed a man in her life to function.

However, just before she fell asleep, her mind began to drift to darker and more sombre thoughts like they usually did in the later hours of the night. She recalled how distant and detached Lucas had been when Josh and her arrived at their table, as if he didn't want to be associated with them. A deep, grinding fear that Lucas was changing suddenly replaced the warm feeling in her stomach.

Texas Lucas she could deal with and accept without judgement, but High School Footballer Lucas was still a Pandora's Box – one that she wasn't keen on opening.

And thus back in present time, Maya was pacing back and forth across her room, wondering if she should pay Riley an early visit and enlist her help in conducting a background check of Noah and Adam. But before she could make a decision, her phone buzzed from its place at the bedside table, catching her by surprise.

It was 8.30am and Maya knew that she wasn't by any means, an important person, and neither did she have many friends who would even call her in the first place, so she hadn't a clue who it might possibly be.

She strode over to the table and glanced at the caller ID, a jolt rippling through her skin when she saw who it was – Lucas Friar's perfect, bronze face was beaming up at her.

"What do you want?" Maya demanded upon answering the phone, the words rolling off her tongue before she could think twice about her tone. The only reason why her friends no longer took offence in her greetings was because she did it often enough.

Lucas' voice came through with a hint of surprise laced in it. "You're awake," he said, more of a statement than anything else.

"No surprise there, Sherlock," Maya scoffed over the phone. "Why are you calling so early in the morning? Better question – what are you doing _up_ so early in the morning?"

Lucas bounced back into his habit of making things longer than they should be. "Well," he started, "it's a habit I got back in Texas. We could never sleep past 8am as kids because the roosters would just start crowing non-stop till everyone was wide awake –"

"–Long story short, my cowboy," she prompted, shaking her head and smiling. She'd always wondered if people could hear the smiles in others' voices without having to see them. Personally, she liked to believe that was true.

There was a slight pause at the other end of the line as she walked over to the window that overlooked the street below. The moment she peered out of it and laid her eyes on the athletic figure a few floors down, Lucas began to speak, the shifts in the shape of his mouth in-sync with the words that spilled out into her ear.

"I'm outside your apartment," he said. "Come down and meet me? It's just for a short while."

Maya rapped against the glass pane, instructing Lucas to look up. When he raised his head and saw her standing at the window, she gave him a wave.

 _Give me five minutes_ , she mouthed.

Ending the call, she walked over to her closet and stripped out of her pyjama top, replacing it with a plain white t-shirt. Then, pulling her messy bed hair into a high ponytail, she slipped out of the house and made her way down to meet Lucas.

By the time she got there, Lucas had seated himself comfortably on the steps of the porch leading up to the apartment entrance, his fingers drumming idly against the top of his knee. His grey track pants and loose-fitting top gave away the fact that he probably exercised before coming here.

Maya cleared her throat, causing the boy to look back and scoot over to give her some space.

"Thanks," she said, plopping herself down next to him. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lucas said nothing, merely raising an amused eyebrow at the sight of her pyjama pants, which was decorated with colourful unicorns and rainbows.

Maya gave him a slight push. "Give me a break, Friar, I can't be looking good _all_ the time." She joked.

"It's Riley's," he stated knowingly.

"Yeah, it's Riley's," she nodded hastily, a smile breaking out onto her face. "But back to the point."

"Right," Lucas rubbed his palms together like he was cold, or deliberating what to say. "I just…want to apologize for yesterday."

Maya frowned, not because he wanted to apologize but because she hadn't realized that her discomfort could be so blatantly felt and picked up by others. Though now that she thought about it, what would Lucas be visiting her for, if not to address the situation from yesterday? She nodded her head slowly, waiting for him to continue.

He was studying his large hands, looking everywhere but at her. It was almost laughable how the two of them could slip into awkwardness so easily. In fact, it was happening more and more often these days.

"I know I seemed a little bit hostile when you and Josh came over, but I just didn't know how to react." Lucas finally said.

"To Josh or to your new pals?" Maya questioned, wincing upon realizing how bitter she sounded when mentioning his friends.

Lucas considered this for a second. "Both."

"Let me guess, you wanted to impress Noah and Adam? Thought I might embarrass you by calling you heehaw? Or Ranger Rick?"

Maya was well-aware that her words were accusatory, and that her pent-up fear was translating very badly into anger. But the fact that Lucas didn't deny any of those things annoyed her even more.

"You know those aren't exactly the most flattering nicknames, right?" He said, before letting out a sigh that deflated the tension in his shoulders.

Although the nicknames had indeed started out as a running joke and source of delight for Maya, they had, over the past year, grown in significance and meaning. She found that they slipped out of her less intentionally and had turned into something more subconscious, like how she always called Riley 'sweetie' or 'pumpkin' without having to think it through.

"So what are you trying to say?" Maya asked, just wishing that he would stop averting his gaze and look her straight in the eyes.

As if he could read her thoughts, Lucas' eyes suddenly flickered up to meet hers as he said, "What I'm trying to say is that I am _not_ embarrassed to be your friend and I'm sorry that I acted that way last night. In fact, I think Noah and Adam and the rest of the football team would think you're pretty awesome once they get to know you."

Maya felt a sense of reassurance wash upon her after hearing that. It comforted her to know that at least for now, Lucas was still the selfless, caring boy who would do anything to protect his friends.

"You get that this doesn't just apply to me, right?" She said, making sure that he understood that. "The same goes for Riley, Farkle, Zay and the rest of your friends who graduated with you from middle school."

Lucas nodded. "I know."

It was only then that Maya allowed herself to smile as she gently patted his knee. "Good. If that's all you came to meet me for then I guess you can go now, if you want."

A part of her was hoping that he would offer to stay and hang with her for a bit, perhaps even follow her to get some new art supplies from the store. But he got up and casted her a wry smile instead.

"I'd stay but I can't," he apologised, gesturing towards the duffle bag lying at his feet that had gone unnoticed during their exchange. "I've got football practice to get to."

"Even during the holidays?" Maya asked, baffled.

Lucas shrugged, hoisting the bag up and slinging it across his shoulder. "It's a tough sport."

Then, with a pained expression flashing across his face, he pleaded, "Please pray for me. My muscles are still aching from two days ago."

Maya couldn't resist a hearty laugh. "Promise me something first, Lucas."

Pausing midway in his descent down the stairs, the boy looked at her curiously, trying to figure out if what she had proposed was a joke or a serious request.

It turned out to be the latter.

"Promise me that you won't turn into someone that the Lucas now would be ashamed of," Maya said slowly, processing her own words as Lucas did so too.

He readjusted the duffle bag on his shoulder before smiling. "I promise, Maya," he said, holding up three fingers in the semblance of an oath. "Cowboy's honour."

Maya wasn't quite sure of how to describe the feeling that permeated through her. It was something akin to relief or comfort in knowing that she might have been wrong in fearing that Lucas was changing. And never had she been so glad to be wrong about something.

She proceeded to make a shooing motion with her hands, sending Lucas off on his way. "Giddy up, then," she teased, "they might kick you out of the team if you're late!"

"You're supposed to be praying for me!" Lucas shouted over his shoulder, a grin tearing across his face.

Maya did not respond and merely rested her chin on her hand as she watched him walk away, feeling like the conversation had left her much less fearful for the future ahead.

* * *

"Smackle?"

"Yes, Farkle?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Smackle stopped fiddling with the kaleidoscope in her hands and looked over at Farkle expectantly. "Sure," she said. "What is it?"

Just seeing the enthused expression on her face was enough to send Farkle on a guilt trip for wanting to ask the question he had in mind. Having thoroughly considered the pros and cons of Riley's suggestion, he came to the conclusion that there wasn't much harm in carrying it out. After all, the gift would be just one part of an elaborate dinner and night out that he had already planned.

But of course, there were many ways in which the scenario painted in his head could go wrong.

He took Smackle's hand and flipped it such that hers was on top. "I was just…wondering…what you would like for your birthday?" he asked, as casually and smooth as possible.

The girl looked taken aback for a moment, causing alarm bells to go off ringing in Farkle's head. _You're done for,_ they said. _You killed it – and not in a good way._

That was when a small laugh bubbled from her throat. "You have no idea what to get me, do you?" She said, taking the words right out of his mouth.

Farkle looked away, suddenly feeling appalled and ashamed that he actually had the guts to even ask her that in the first place. "I wanted to get you something you'd love," he explained. "I didn't want to just get you something and _hope_ that you'd like it."

Smackle glanced at their intertwined hands and smiled. They were sitting at the foot of his bed, facing the large plasma TV that was currently turned on to the History Channel.

"You know," she started, "I'm lucky to be almost as well-off as you are. Material possessions have never been lacking in my household, and whenever my parents ask me what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I find myself unable to give them an answer. So they would just buy me different variations of what I already own, but the more I got the less satisfied I became. It was only recently that I realized why."

"Why?" Farkle echoed, his voice soft.

Holding his gaze, Smackle continued, "All this while I thought that the amount of gifts I received was proportionate to how much people loved and cared about me. But what I need can't be summed up in material or tangible things - you and your group of friends taught me that. You don't need to get me anything for my birthday, Farkle. Because all I really want is just _you._ "

"But Smackle," Farkle breathed, "I'm already yours."

The girl shook her head sadly.

It tore his heart, seeing Smackle upset. He'd learned recently that she came from a strict family that measured love with numbers and figures. A good grade would be traded for gifts and affirmation, while a mediocre one earned disappointed sighs and shakes of disapproval. That was as much as he managed to pry out of her regarding her familial situation, but it was enough for him to understand why she desired something less calculative and conditional.

With one hand still holding on to her, he slowly raised the other to her cheek, caressing it gently as he pressed his forehead against hers. He could hear her shallow breathing – feel it, even.

Smackle cautiously raised her eyes to look at him. Their faces were so close that just a little forward nudge of her head would seal their lips together.

"Farkle," she exhaled. Her hands were trembling, a light sheen of sweat glazing her palms. She had searched countless times over the internet on how it was like for people with Asperger's to kiss, for future preparation. But they never said anything about feeling like they were about to melt away.

"I promise," the boy said, "I promise I'll stay."

"Okay," Smackle replied giddily, gathering up every last ounce of her courage to close the distance between them.

That night, she stole Farkle's first kiss, and he stole hers.

* * *

 _A/N: Oh wow, okay. Hi guys! I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter :) This one was a headache for me to write. I'm not sure why, especially considering how I already had it all planned out. I guess I just felt dissatisfied with how I was expressing the scenes. In fact, I actually decided to omit a whole scene between Riley and Maya at the start, but don't worry, it'll just be shifted to a later chapter in the story. Also, just in case this last scene sets some of you going 'OMG IMMA KILL THIS SMACKLE', I'd just like to add that it was never my intention to make her the antagonist. I actually really like her character, and granted, she might make some wrong choices, but her circumstances and upbringing definitely played a big role in leading her up to that point. So do continue to show her some love c: And because I'm really excited for the next chapter, I'll give you guys three big hints about what it'll entail: Katy and Shawn leave New York, an undercover road trip, Josh and the hive five ;) Alright, I think that's enough rambling from me. Thank you so much for all the favs and follows thus far, though it'll be great if you could leave a review and let me know what you think about the story :) They would be very much appreciated! Till next time!_


	9. Chapter 9

**9: Roadtrip I**

As Riley and the rest of the gang sat at their usual spot next to the entrance of Topanga's, they realized that the café was missing something. However, they couldn't quite place their finger on it till they saw the waitress, Ophelia, scurrying about all alone in an attempt to serve the first wave of patrons coming in for breakfast. It was only then that they realized the place was missing the bright, accented drawl of Katy Hart's voice. And after two years of working there, her absence stood out like a sore thumb.

"Where's Katy?" Zay asked the question on everyone's minds in-between chews of his blueberry pancakes. "These just don't taste the same without her saying _'Eat up, hon!'_ "

Riley smirked, thoroughly entertained by his attempt to mimic the woman's voice. "I think I speak on everyone's behalf here when I say that we've missed having you around," she said, gesturing towards him.

"I know," Zay replied, looking pleased with himself. He and his family had just returned that morning from their vacation in Texas – hence the group's decision to meet and catch up over breakfast.

This caused Riley to shake her head. "I just boosted your ego, didn't I?"

Zay was about to respond when all of sudden, they were interrupted by Maya's entrance, which saw her bursting through the doors of the café with eyes ablaze and a charge in her steps.

"Ah, at least we've found one Ms Hart," Lucas pointed out, settling back into his chair.

Maya pushed the stray locks of her hair away from her face and let out what sounded like a cross between a growl and a sigh. She tossed Lucas a look. "That's because the _other_ Ms Hart is currently travelling out of town with Shawn," she revealed.

Riley perked up upon hearing the name of her father's best friend. "Shawn?" She repeated. "You mean like _Uncle Shawn_ , Shawn?"

"Yes!" Maya exclaimed, flinging her arms up. "Let's go, we have to go after them!"

"Wait, why do we have to?" Farkle asked, a confused expression etched on his face.

Maya plucked the glass of ice lemon tea away from his unsuspecting hands and set it back down onto the wooden table in front of him. He backed away a few inches, knowing all too well that this was the action of an angry girl who wouldn't take no for an answer.

" _Because_ ," she said slowly, "my mum refused to tell me why they were leaving town this morning. All she said was 'I'll be back first thing tomorrow' and she drove off into the sunrise with Shawn."

The girl plopped down onto the bench beside Riley, exasperated. "I – I'm just afraid that they'll do something rash like elope or something. I know I shouldn't be meddling with my mum's relationship but I'm just scared for her and I don't want her to jump into anything without filling me in on it first."

"But Maya," Lucas tried to reason, "it's Katy and Shawn we're talking about here. They hardly seem like the type who would do such a thing. And you mean a lot to them, so surely they would consult you before doing that."

"Well, that's the problem," Maya said. "We promised each other a long time ago that we wouldn't keep any secrets, but that's precisely what she did today."

Upon seeing Maya so tensed, Riley reached out to give her hand a tight squeeze. "I say we do it!" She declared, turning to face the rest of her friends.

The three boys gawked at her like she was out of her mind. It was Farkle who broke the silence first.

"Okay," he started, leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees and his hands clasped together. Everyone could see the invisible gears and motors whirring inside him as he tried to wrap his head around the idea.

"Supposedly we do go ahead with this. We still have two problems: one, they've already left, so how could we possibly follow them? And two, neither of us own a car nor know how to drive one."

Zay nodded fervently. "Farkle makes sense. It's impossible."

Maya let out a sly smile right then – the first one they'd seen from her since she stepped into the cafe. "I don't just propose things without thinking them through, alright," she said, extending her hand towards the gangly boy. "Farkle, your iPad please."

His hands flew protectively to the bag resting next to him. "How did you know I have one with me?" He asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes.

"Farkle," Riley chided, "just hand it over."

"Oh fine," He sighed, glancing over at the amused brunette before fishing out the silver iPad mini from his bag and passing it to Maya reluctantly.

They then proceeded to watch as the girl's fingers danced over the keyboard and logged into one of the device's pre-installed applications, waiting for her to provide some sort of explanation as to what she was doing.

Just then, a beeping sound could be heard emitting from the device, and Maya raised it up to show everyone the screen. It was the road map of New York, with a bright blue dot blinking down the street labelled 7th Avenue.

Farkle did a double take, his eyes widening and sparkling with mischief upon realizing what Maya had done. He looked from her, to the screen, and back again.

"I knew there had to be a reason why I love you," he said, his initial frown sliding into a grin.

Lucas stared blankly at the two of them. "Care to explain what's going on here?" He asked.

Farkle shifted excitedly in his seat, the words tumbling out of him like a landslide. "Basically, Maya planted her iPhone somewhere in Shawn's car and activated the tracker app so that we can trace its location using another external Apple device like my iPad! That was a brilliant idea on her part, honestly."

Riley strained her neck to get a closer look at the blue dot, which was indeed, still moving forward along 7th Avenue.

"So that means tracking down Maya's phone will lead us straight to Katy and Uncle Shawn too," she said.

"Exactly," Maya snapped her fingers as she let out a proud smile.

Riley shook her head in awe. "You're amazing, peaches."

"Well, but we still don't have a car," Zay butted in, though anyone could see that he was just as excited to get on board.

There was a moment of contemplative silence before Riley dug her phone out from the pocket of her denim overalls and waved it with a cheeky grin. "I think I might just have the solution to that."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Josh said from where he sat in his white, beaten Honda Civic. "You want _me_ to drive you and your friends out of New York to stalk Katy and Uncle Shawn?"

Before Riley could reply, she was nudged away from the window by Maya, who flashed the boy a pleading smile. "Come on, Josh, no authentic New York experience is complete without your good ol' car tailing. And besides, I prefer to use the word… _follow_."

Josh heaved a sigh, looking at the steering wheel gripped in his hands. "But who knows where they might be heading to?" He said. "I'm going to have to take responsibility for all five of you if something goes wrong, you know."

Maya bent a little lower to get a better view of him. He had on an NYU cap to shield his eyes from the harsh summer sun. "Look at us, Josh. You have the literal human embodiment of sunshine, a cowboy, a mad genius, a jokester and a rebel. What could go wrong?"

"Now that you put it that way... _a lot_ could go wrong."

Josh made a quick sweep of the group of teenagers crowding outside his car. He knew all of them personally with the exception of Zay Babineaux, though the stories that Riley had told about him made the boy as little a stranger as everyone else.

The five friends were staring hopefully back at him, and despite being only three years older than most of them, he suddenly felt like a father who was caught between either having to disappoint or satisfy his children. Taking that into account, some part of him was certain that if he really were a dad, he would rather be caught dead than be seen letting his kids down. So there was no surprise when he finally revealed his answer.

"Get in the car," he relented, nodding his head towards the back seat.

"I call shotgun!" Maya exclaimed, grinning as she jogged over to the other side of the car and slid into the seat beside him. She regarded him gratefully. "Thank you, Josh. Really. I owe you one."

"It's nothing," Josh shrugged, casting the girl a smile. "My parents won't be here to lecture me about it anyway."

"How about Mr. Matthews?"

"Oh," Josh waved the thought away, "he's too much of a softie to do much harm – even to his own daughter."

Maya pulled a face. "That's very true."

From behind them, there was a slight ruckus as Riley, Lucas, Farkle and Zay jostled their way into the backseat. While Lucas and Zay sat at opposite ends of the row with their bodies pressed against the doors, Riley and Farkle were trapped in the middle, with a quarter of the girl's slender frame ending up on the latter's lap.

Josh couldn't help but suppress a chuckle upon seeing the pitiful sight through his rear view mirror. "Are you guys ready?" He called, starting the engine.

Following a few muffled agreements from the back, the car rumbled to life and began to roll away from Topanga's Café and onto West 4th street, heading towards 7th Avenue as directed by Maya. Given its old age and many years of use, the Honda Civic was by no means in good shape as it jerked and launched forward with every pothole and bump that it hit along the crowded streets of New York.

"So where to?" Josh asked Maya as he made a sharp turn. The back row was strangely silent except for a couple of "oomphs!" whenever the car jerked.

The girl squinted at Farkle's iPad. "It looks like they're heading towards I-78 W," she said. "Whatever that is."

Josh raised an eyebrow in surprise. The route that they were taking felt strangely familiar, especially since navigating the streets had now come easy to him after nearly three years of travelling to and fro Philadelphia and New York.

"If you would allow me to make an intelligent guess," he said, "it looks like Uncle Shawn and I are headed back for home."

* * *

Uncomfortably packed at the back of the car, the other four friends hardly spoke a word to each other. Enduring the tight squeeze was tiring enough without them having to catch their breath.

This was especially the case for Riley, whose head kept hitting the roof of the car each time it sped over a bump, causing her to wince every now and then. It didn't help that she was occupying literally half of Farkle's lap, though it appeared that she minded it more than he did.

"Ugh, I'm sorry Farkle," she grimaced as the car hit yet another bump.

The boy smiled and merely settled his hand above her head so that his palm could cushion the blow whenever she bounced up.

"Don't worry about it, Riles," he said chirpily. "I'm actually quite liking this."

A tiny smile formed on the girl's face.

"I don't understand how you can get away with flirting with two girls while dating another at the same time," Zay commented upon seeing that. "It's basically every boy's dream!"

"Well, maybe you could learn a thing or two from him," Lucas suggested cheekily.

"Says the boy with the cruddiest love life out of the three of us!" Zay countered.

Lucas' mouth dropped open even though he had probably seen that coming. "Low blow, dude," he said. "Low blow."

"Guys, don't fret," Farkle spoke up from beside him. "Smackle knows that I'm faithful to her."

Zay's eyes lit up with excitement. "Dang, Farkle, does that mean you finally took it to the next level?" He asked.

Everyone immediately fixated their gaze on the boy, including Josh, who was watching everything unfold through his rear view mirror. Riley had to crane her neck a little more in order to get a good look of him, but there was no denying the scarlet hue that began to colour his cheeks.

"Well did ya, buddy?" Maya prodded from the front seat.

"My lips are sealed," Farkle replied bashfully.

But he didn't really need to say anything in the first place – his shy expression had already given everything away.

The whole car burst into equal parts teasing and ' _Awwws'_. Riley grinned, knowing how big a deal this was to him.

It was only when the commotion died down that Maya leant back against her seat and sighed. Staring at the traffic ahead, she said, "I guess we'll have to include her into our group soon, don't we?"

* * *

A good hour passed since the group left New York, and they were currently cruising down the interstate just a few miles out from New Jersey.

Toggling the radio, Maya switched back and forth the various stations in order to find one that didn't have DJs who spent three-quarters of the time talking. When she eventually settled on one, she turned the volume up so that Tori Kelly's song blasted through the speakers and filled the car with lively, upbeat music.

 _Everybody's looking for that something, no one ever wants to pay the price…_

"Hey Maya," Lucas suddenly called from the back seat.

"Hmm?" She responded, still bobbing her head and humming along to the tune.

"I was just curious. Why are you so afraid of your mum and Shawn getting married when you already look up to him so much?"

The next syllable to the song got lodged in Maya's throat. She took a couple of seconds to process what he'd just said before realizing that she never really gave her friends a proper justification for her impulsive actions today. She saw Josh cast her a sideways glance before refocusing his attention back on the road ahead.

Despite the song that continued to play in the background, the atmosphere in the car suddenly fell silent and serious as the rest awaited her reply.

Swallowing her saliva, Maya patted her jeans and said, "I don't know. I guess it was just my usual instincts kicking in to make sure that my mother doesn't get hurt again. I mean, dating still has a sort of impermanence to it, but when two people get married, they make a vow to be by each other's side in sickness and in health and all the other shit that life throws at them. So that's when people start to feel tied down and thoughts of just up-ing and leaving come. My dad did that, and I know that Shawn isn't him, but some part of me is still afraid that…he might do the same."

She took a deep breath and forced out a reassuring smile for her friends at the back – all of whom now sported solemn expressions. "Thanks for following me out today, guys," she said, "I really appreciate it."

Riley watched her with soft, understanding eyes. "You know we would do anything for you, Maya," she replied.

Lucas nodded his head fervently. "You don't need to feel bad about it."

All of sudden, the girl felt shameful and guilty for running off after her mother and Uncle Shawn. And to haul her closest friends along with her without any blatant regard for what they're own parents might think was very selfish of her to do so. Who on earth had blessed her with such wonderful and special individuals as friends? Only the best and truest would willingly decide to come along with her without even a moment's notice.

 _We'll just check in on them,_ she promised herself. _We'll just check in on them and then turn back for home._

* * *

A few minutes later, Maya checked the iPhone tracker to make sure that they were heading in the right direction. The blue dot was now blipping over the entrance to Philadelphia, which confirmed Josh's suspicions of their final destination.

Riley clasped her hands together in realization that they would soon be arriving back at their hometown. "Hey Josh, we could visit grandma and grandpa!" She suggested in a flurry of excitement.

"No, we can't," Josh said. "Unless you want to lose your ticket back to New York."

"Oh right," Riley muttered.

"Um, Josh, are you sure this car can take us all the way to Philly?" Farkle suddenly spoke up uneasily from beside her.

It was only then that the sickly noises that the car had been making came under everyone's attention. The Honda Civic coughed and sputtered and started to lose its momentum, decelerating slowly to a stop by the side of the interstate. Cars in other lanes whizzed past its sorry sight, while those trapped behind it let out a series of annoyed honks before filtering out.

"What happened?" Zay scrambled awake from his sleeping state upon feeling the slight jolt.

"The car broke down," Lucas deadpanned. "Do you know what went wrong, Josh?"

The boy at the driver's seat seemed a little flustered and taken aback as he searched frantically around for any signs that pointed to what might have killed the engines. That was when he saw the tiny red hand of the fuel gauge hovering over 'E'.

"I found our culprit," Josh announced, unbuckling his seatbelt. "We're out of fuel."

"Out of fuel?!" Maya repeated.

He shot her a look. "How would I know that we would be travelling 97 miles today? But lucky for you," he said, pushing the door open, "I always carry spare fuel with me wherever I go."

Josh stepped out onto the roadside and went to the back of the car to fetch the fuel from his trunk. However, it came out empty, save for a portable tire inflator and car polish.

"What the heck?" he muttered under his breath. "I could've sworn it was right here."

"Bad news?" A voice piped up from behind him. It was Maya, who had come out of the car to help him. Her blonde hair flicked across her face as cars whizzed by, leading her to tuck it behind both her ears.

Josh looked up at her frustratedly. "I really did have spare fuel with me. Where on earth did it go?"

The girl smiled in an attempt to settle his nerves. "Don't worry Josh, we'll just call a tow truck to come get us."

"Um, guys," Riley said, standing behind the open door of the car. "I just got a call from Aunt Katy. She's in the hospital."

Maya's heart skipped a beat as she checked for her phone's location on the iPad. The dot had finally stopped moving, but it didn't land on any shady place or romantic café as she thought it would have. Instead, it was parked right over the building labelled _Pennsylvania Hospital,_ the least dubious place that could possibly exist. She stood frozen to the spot, fearing the worse.

* * *

 _A/N: Hey guys, here's the first part of the hive five + Josh's 'road trip'! I hope you enjoyed it :) Apologies for taking so long to update - I was feeling really nervous over the last week because of my 'A' Level results. But I just collected it this Friday and I did pretty well, so I've been busy visiting the different universities' open houses here in Singapore over the weekend! The next chapter may not come so soon because March is going to be a hectic month for me, I have to study for my theory driving test and submit my applications for unis and scholarships so do pardon me if I don't update soon :( i promise the next one will be uploaded **latest** by the start of April, though! Anyway, thanks for the favs, reviews and follows so far! Let me know if you're liking the story or what you think Katy and Shawn are up to in Philadelphia through the reviewing! c: Have a great week ahead, guys. Till the next chapter! _


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